Changing Days
by UDDCommander
Summary: Link has save Hyrule and Termina, beaten Gannon and Majora, but while continuing the search for Navi He runs into some problems and is cursed. With no way back Link must now face challenges he never saw coming
1. Chapter 1

Link rode on through the forest, Epona trotting slowly through the trees. His trip to Terminia was fun, if not riddled with a danger at least on par with Gannondorf and his minions. There was no underbrush for now, and the trees had a wide gap between each one so if he really wanted to go faster he could have pushed Epona into a gallop. He didn't, not out of wanting to be slow, indeed he wanted to be out of the Lost Woods soon, but he had promised himself that he wouldn't leave without his dear friend Navi. Sure she had been annoying at times, her love of the words "look" and "listen" had ground on his nerves more then he cared to admit, but he still had a soft spot when it came to the fairy. Besides, he needed to know why she had left him as the Master Sword returned to its pedestal that last time. He probably already knew, but he needed to hear it from her. So on he and his faithful horse went, until weariness made them stop. The sunlight didn't reach though the trees, so time had no meaning to the pair.

When he finally got to sleep on the soft ground he had a dream. He saw Navi, fluttering above him, surrounded by other fairies of every color he knew, and some he didn't. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves.  
"But he didn't do wrong on purpose, he came looking for me!" Navi said  
"It doesn't matter what he did, or did not do on purpose. He is coming far too close to reaching us. Even now he could be watching us in his dreams, and that is unacceptable." Said a yellow one, its voice just a little deeper than Navi's  
"He's your charge anyway, you should have warned him not to look for you." Said a purple one, something in its voice sounded like poison, and Link could not remember ever hearing a fairy so unconcerned with another being.  
"But he's a human! We're not supposed to have human charges, only the Kokiri are supposed to have guardian fairies!"  
"Enough!" said a dark green fairy, its voice nothing like the others, gruff and rough, as opposed to the sweet sounding voices even the male fairies had.  
"Navi, Guardian of Link, the Hero of Time. Your charge is your problem, and you will be allowed to guide him out of this area, however, if you do not find him and extend your protection around him by the next time the sun sets, he will be subject to all of our punishment. Do you understand?"  
Navi seemed to waver a bit in the air, and then spoke loudly enough for all to hear. "Yes!"  
"Then we are adjourned until sunset!"

Link woke with a start. Was that dream real or just his overactive mind? He shook his head; he wouldn't let anything stop him now, not when he knew he was so close to her. He got up, looking over at Epona as she ate her fill off of one of the rare patches of grass this far into the woods. She'd be ready to go by the time he found some fungi to eat while trotting onward. He thought about using one of the masks he had from Terminia, but he wasn't sure they'd work like they did, and he didn't want to try until he really had to. So instead of pulling out the Mask of Scents to try and find more and better fungi for him, he stuck with pulling the mushrooms and shelf fungi from off of a nearby tree. Then, putting lots of the nutritious and good tasting fungi into his pack for lunch and dinner, he got onto Epona, and trotted on.

After some time, long after he had finished his breakfast of fungi, they came across one of the small, clear ponds that dotted the woods. In his time living with the Kokiri he had only seen one of these, on his way to the Forest Grove that held the Forest Temple, the first time he had seen another he had dived into it, exploring its depths. It was then he realized that at the bottom of every one of them was a small hole that hid a fast moving current that led straight to Lake Hylia. It had taken him a good week to get back to where he had been about, but he still found comfort that he could escape at any time, and in a matter of hours Epona would find him, as sure as the current that pulled him away.

Link glanced to his left. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he had seen a flash of purple light. The light was not there, as none of the lights he had seen in the Lost Woods had been. He supposed those lights where meant to lead the unwary away, to become Stalfos, Wolfos, or any other of the many monsters that made their living in the Woods. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that the light he saw had been there, because all the other lights had been pure yellow. He was just turning back, when the purple light appeared right in his face.  
"Hello Hero." The light said as Link fell off of Epona. Only in the clarity that being on the ground came with, did he realize the light was a fairy. He thought he recognized the voice of this fairy, it sounded like sweet poison dripped from her lips.  
"Well well, even the Hero of Time can be surprised?" She asked, looking straight down at him as Epona nervously dug at the ground.  
"I'm the Hero of Time, not a Seer or something." He said, pulling himself up.  
"Quite…A pleasure to meet you, I am Kias." The fairy said, her aura getting darker.  
"I'm Link." He said pleasantly.  
"My, how you underestimate your fame with those in tune with the world. I know your name, as does most fairies that travel this world."  
"Oh…"  
"Don't be so disheartened my young hero; politeness is highly treasured among the Fairies. If I sounded condescending, I do apologize."  
"Um…ok then, do you know where I can find Navi?"  
"Of course I do! Well…actually she's looking for you, a small problem with the elders, she's been sent to lead you out of the forest. You see, no one's ever made it this far in without a fairy guide."  
"Ah…well then, maybe you could tell me one thing…is it true that the closer to the center of the forest you are, the more attuned you are to Magic?"  
Kias wavered a little, as if disturbed. "Yes…it is true."  
"Then wouldn't it also be true that one attuned to Magic would dream of it, even so far as dreaming about the actions of Magical beings?"  
"That's the legend, though I've never actually heard of it happening," Kias turned to face him, her aura having gotten darker. "But you have, haven't you?"  
"Then I know better than to trust you, I remember your voice, you advocated punishing me right then."  
"Damn…you heard that part huh?…Oh well, just two more minutes and I can do what I want to you." Her aura glowed black. "Can you run three leagues in two minutes? Actually…I'll give you an extra minute…now run little one!"  
Link knew the moment she turned black he needed to get out of there; he remounted Epona, and set her off galloping in the other direction.

Epona galloped hard, but the young horse just couldn't make any headway towards the three-leagues that they needed to reach. Then Link saw a blue glint off to the side. He knew that it was probably one of the fake beacons leading to Stalfos, but he needed Navi too much to not risk it. He aimed Epona right at the blue glow, and called out.  
"Navi! Is that you?"  
"Link?" came an astonished reply. He'd found her!  
"Too late Navi dear." Kias appeared from nowhere and put herself right in front of Link, knocking him off Epona, and right next to one of the small ponds that led to Lake Hylia. He started edging himself to the pond.  
"Kias, stop! I found him, it's over!" Navi came towards the other fairy.  
"No it's not! We were friends, and then this little punk came along, and now you're not the same anymore! The Navi I knew died the moment she met this stupid, insignificant worm! But maybe, maybe if I get the kid out of the way, we can be friends again; maybe the Navi I knew would come back."  
Kias shot a beam of pure black at Link, and his entire body was engulfed in pain. It felt like his skin was on fire and his insides frozen solid. As suddenly as the pain started, it stopped. He looked up, and saw Navi blocking the Magic.  
"Get to the pond; I'll meet you at Lake Hylia!" She said, shooting a beam of Blue right back at Kias. Link's last memory was of Kias, crying out against his escape.

Link awoke to the sight of Navi, as blue as ever, floating softly above his head. Then he noticed that they were no longer in the Lost Woods, but on the shore of Lake Hylia.  
"Link! Thank the Goddesses. After Kias hit you with her magic I was afraid you'd never wake up!"  
He shook his head, sitting up slightly with a small weight pressing at his chest that he'd never noticed before "What was it Navi?" He asked, lying back down as the odd weight shifted ever slightly.  
"The punishment for trespassing, or at least what a single fairy could do alone…I was worried that for you to wake up I'd have to drag you back to them and have them finish the job."  
"What's the punishment?" Something was definitely off; just trying to raise his shield was more of an effort than usual.  
"Complete unaging and rebirth as a fairy. Though, I think it worked rather…well, unexpectedly"  
"What do you mean Navi?" He tried sitting up, but once again, that strange weight went with him.  
"Link, when you entered the Lost Woods from Terminia, how old where you?  
"Um…I think I stayed a year with Zelda, and then I spent…must have at least been a month before Skullkid showed up, then the 3 days, which I didn't age at all during. Then I guess maybe two more weeks until I found you."  
"And your Birthday is two days after Midsummer?"  
"Yeah, so that would make me…" He ticked off the numbers with his fingers, again, something seemed off, and they seemed thinner, less calloused. "12 in one month's time"  
"Link, I think she aged you a year, you look…" she paused a bit, as if stumbling over words. "More mature then a twelve year old."  
"That's good right?" He tried sitting up again, that weight still on his chest, but he didn't look down, because moving his neck hurt. "Navi, my neck hurts too much to move it a lot, would you please tell me what I have on my chest?"  
"Erm, Link, that's not important right now…I think it's more important that you rest and recover your strength." Navi was nervous, her aura having gone from blue to a steady orange.  
"Navi, what's wrong?"  
"Why would something be wrong? You just need to rest." Her orange aura flashed with a little green and a little purple, she was very nervous.  
"Navi, your aura always goes orange when you're nervous so just tell me what's wrong, please!" he turned that last word into a plea, hoping that would convince Navi to tell him."  
"Alright…just don't try to sit up while I tell you…ok?" He nodded, lying fully on his back, as the weight shifted again. "When Kias used her Magic, she invoked an ancient law. When as a whole fairies use their magic to harm, or otherwise forcibly change a person, there are no repercussions for the fairies, all, or most were agreeable that it was a necessary action and so the goddesses trusted that it would take a severe crime, or a noticeable trespassing into our area, as you almost did. To make enough fairies agree to do it. But when a single fairy attempts to use the same magic alone, part of that fairy's power and knowledge are transferred to that person."  
"So I've got a little of Kias in me? Right now?"  
"Yes…however, when I started blocking the Magic, something, unexpected happened…"  
"What? What happened?" Navi was turning a shade of brilliant purple, Link had never seen that color before, but assumed it meant that she was embarrassed about something.  
"…When I started blocking the Magic I severed the chain to quickly, too sloppily, and it effected your body, making you look more like Kias."  
"Oh…ok." Then realization dawned on him. "Kias was a girl though…so I'm…"  
"Yes Link, you're now a girl too."  
Link took one look at his chest, and fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Link awoke to the sudden splashing of water over his, now hers face. The sight above her was that of Navi, and then just as suddenly, a small wave from Lake Hylia splashing over her head. She pulled herself up and away from the cold water, ignoring the weight on her chest, which she realized after a few seconds, were breasts.  
"Sorry, I tried everything else I could think of to get you to wake up."  
"It's…its fine Navi." She curled up, sitting, with her legs up against her body and her arms around them, just sitting there, considering her current state.  
"It's a big shock…but you've gotta pull yourself together. You've been though a lot, this is just one more challenge, right?"  
"…I guess you're right…can it be undone?"  
"To be honest…I don't know, if it had just been Kias, then yes, but when I broke the link, I created a new magic, something both more complex, yet simpler than what Kias was trying. If there is one person in all of Hyrule who can help you now, it's Princess Zelda and the court mages of the royal family."  
"Then let's get going!" She quickly stood, and then just as quickly stumbled. Navi giggled a little.  
"Link, before we go I better teach you a few Fairy tricks, you probably can never do as much as a real Fairy, but this trick is simple enough that I think you can."  
"What is it?" She asked, sitting cross-legged now.  
"Magically making clothes that fit you. It's fairly simple, but since you're just starting, let's try just producing proper fitting undergarments and altering your clothes. Maybe if you're good enough at that we can move on to magically reducing the weight and size of an object, like a sword."  
Link thought it over and mentally agreed. She was no longer as strong as she was as a boy, she could probably carry her Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield on her back, but actually using them with even just slightly reduced strength would be tiring and dangerous. "Alright, how do we start?"

Three hours later, and at least ten times that number of explanations of what a bra was and what it did, Link had achieved what Navi said was 'acceptable' in the clothing department.  
"I just keep on telling you, it's all in the visualization!"  
"Well I'm sorry that I couldn't visualize what you were trying to say when you kept on pausing and stuttering!"  
"Well excuse me for never having to explain undergarments to anyone!"  
Needless to say, they were both tired, both hungry, and both very ready to get to Hyrule castle town. Link sighed, looking at her new outfit. It wasn't that much changed from her normal tunic, she still had her hat, it was still green, but now it fit a bit more snugly, particularly in the waist. Her belt was gone, as Navi had explained what 'mass' they couldn't move or rearrange would have to be taken from it. For some reason Link didn't understand Navi had insisted on lengthening the bottom into a skirt. She had also insisted on adding leggings and making her boots slightly smaller but higher up on her legs. Link would have asked why all these changes were necessary and why they required the use of her favorite belt to make, but she was so tired by now she just didn't care.  
"Let's just get going to Hyrule Castle town then, so then Zelda can either fix this mess or at least get me actual clothes!"  
"Fine, I'll get into your hat like always, and you can ride Epona there top speed, galloping all the…oh for the love of Nayru! I completely forgot about a saddle!"  
"What's so important about a saddle? I rode Epona all around Terminia without one."  
"As a boy! Your…never mind, I'll just do it, and pull out your sword too so that I can alter it. "  
Link, more out of being tired then actually caring, let her do as she pleased, and after Navi fashioned a simple saddle of brown leather and adjusted Link's sword to fit her better they sped off to Hyrule Castle Town.  
"Navi," she said, looking up at the fairy in her hat. "Why do I need a saddle anyway?"  
Navi turned orange again. "It's er…a long story and it deals with lots of new stuff for you."  
"We have a lot of time, so why not start?"  
"Eh…" Navi's orange aura seemed to have a streak of deep blue for a moment. "Alright…"

"…That had BETTER be the worst I have in store for me if Zelda can't fix this!"  
They were near Lon Lon Ranch by the time Navi had finished. With each passing moment of the quite embarrassing and long talk Link got quieter and quieter as realization dawned on what Navi was saying. Navi laughed a bit nervously.  
"There's MORE?" Link yelled.  
"Well…once a month you'll start having cramps and bleeding out of…"  
"OK! That's enough! We are going to Hyrule Castle, we are getting Zelda's help, and she is changing me back!" Link kicked Epona into a flat out gallop as the walls of Hyrule Castle town slowly came into sight.

Link found it a minor miracle that no one in Hyrule Castle Town even noticed her as she just walked right though the town center and up to the castle gates. It was there she had a problem.  
"Oh-oh…" she said, patting down her skirt and leggings.  
"What? Navi asked, coming out from the hat to float just above Link's eye level.  
"…I lost my pass."  
"Pass? What pass?" Navi asked as her aura started turning yellow.  
"Before I left and found myself in Terminia, Zelda gave me two things; one was the Ocarina of Time and the other was a special pass signed by the king himself that gave me free access to all of the protected areas of the kingdom, including the castle. I must have lost the pass while in Terminia."  
"Do you remember what the pass looked like? It's another simple fairy trick to produce paper and writing on demand." Navi floated, ready to try her hand at teaching again.  
"I do, but if there was even one error in it I'd be sentenced to death."  
"What about showing them the Ocarina?"  
"Again, no good, only those with the pass are supposed to be able to carry it."  
"So…" Navi took a good look around, and spotted the vines Link had first used to climb up and enter the castle's courtyard. "We could always use the way we used first time we were here."  
"Oh, please don't tell me they ignored me, I kept telling them for the entire time I was here that they needed to remove the vines…" Link looked over to where the vines were, and saw much to her dismay that the vines, if anything looked healthier than ever before.  
"Well," Navi said, turning a happy shade of sky blue. "Their stupidity is our gain."  
"True…" Link said, and taking a quick look to make sure that the gate guard wasn't paying attention as usual, climbed up it, and was easily half way to Zelda. Looking down at where she would want to land she noticed something. "They haven't changed their patrols or where the guards are stationed at all!"  
"Hm, well, that explains why Hyrule's Finest can miss a child in green move across the dirt colored road, jump over the fence, into the moat and into a small drain hole that just happens to lead to the courtyard were the Princess is waiting. They've been guarding the same damn stretch of land for all their lives."  
"Remind me to talk to Zelda about it." Link said, falling down, rolling into a run across the road, up the grassy hill to the cliff which she jumped into the moat, and made it all the way around to the main door entrance to the courtyard, were unfortunately, the guards' stupidity stopped, as the crates of Lon Lon Milk were gone.  
"Well, now what?" Link asked, staring at Navi.  
"Well, we can either try the door…or I can try and teach you how to float enough that you can enter though the drain hole." Navi suggested helpfully.  
Link thought carefully about Navi's suggestion. On one hand, the guards in the courtyard were the best ones in the castle. On the other hand if it took as long as changing her clothes did, the guards would find them soon anyway. Then she had an idea.  
"Navi…are there any fairy skills on detecting life, or metal, or anything a normal guard would have?"  
Navi took a moment to consider her answer. "Well, yes but it's even harder than making clothes."  
"Floating isn't?"  
"Please, floating is something that fairies are born knowing, the stuff with the clothes is what a one year old can do."  
"Really? You didn't think to start me on floating and then work my way up to the clothes?"  
"You wanted to get to the castle!"  
"You…" Link paused, and composed herself. "Whatever just tell me how to float."  
"…Fine, picture yourself raising from the ground, just a little, and then when you're ready, take a single step onto over the edge."  
"Over the edge?"  
"If you've done it right you should feel a solid ground under your foot, if you haven't I'm here to catch you."  
With a sigh, Link closed her eyes, and focused, willed herself off the ground, picturing in her mind's eye that she was above the cobblestone. Then, slowly, she took a step forward, putting all of her weight on her outstretched left foot. It hit solid ground. She opened her eyes, and looked at the strange sight of her foot just there, perfectly balanced over the gap. Quickly, she took two more steps, and entered the drainage hole.  
"See, nothing to it," Navi said as Link crawled further into the hole.

As Link cleared the drainage hole, with a slight pull to get her hips uncaught from the exit, she found that much to her dismay, delight, and absolute horror that the guards that had once occupied the main courtyard area where no longer there.  
"What are they thinking? Anyone who can do what I just did can get in to the very heart of the castle and start killing the royal family!" Link said, anger, fear, and rage combining into a yell of such fury Navi started to look for hiding spots, as there was no doubt in her mind that the guard to Death Mountain Trail had heard that.  
"Link, let's just move on, ok?" Navi said as her aura flashed orange. "Maybe Zelda isn't in the courtyard today, or maybe they're in training exercises, or maybe we caught a break and we're in the middle of a shift change? I mean, there are plenty of perfectly rational reasons why the guards aren't here."  
Taking several deep breathes, Link calmed slightly. Enough to see Navi's point, but not enough to ever forgive the officer of the day, or the captain of the guard. "Right, right, let's find Zelda, and worry about the…lack of proper security at some point when it won't get us caught…"

It didn't take too long to figure out why there were no guards in the courtyard. As Navi had suspected, Zelda wasn't in the courtyard at the time.  
"Alright, you were right. She's not here…what time is it?"  
"Um…12:52," Navi said while looking at the shade that the flowers made, she had always been good at telling and keeping track of time."  
"Right, every day at 13:05, Zelda comes out to the courtyard to watch her father hold audience for general pleas."  
"General pleas?" Navi asked, her aura glowing yellow.  
"Basically, anyone who has the money, the influence, or by law the right to ask for an audience. Mostly merchants asking for favors and lower taxes, sometimes lords asking for more land or Zelda's hand in marriage, occasionally messengers from the Gerudo, Zoras, or Gorons. And very rarely, a murder suspect whose case has not enough evidence for either a guilty or innocent verdict."  
"Sounds very boring."  
Link snorted a bit. " Mostly yeah, but occasionally there is some kinda excitement, like an assassin posing as a merchant that was killed by bandits a few days ago, or a complete psychopath somehow making it past the outer guards to demand the King makes him 'Duke of the Lands Beyond the Northern Seas'."  
"Really?"  
"Only happened once, but yeah, the King was very nice, told the man 'I will consider your request' set him up in guest quarters under guard, and after about three days summoned the man, and in front of everyone said 'while I do believe that you could do rather well managing those lands for the Goddesses and the Crown, I am not yet prepared to name someone Duke of the Lands Beyond the Northern Seas. However, when I feel that it becomes necessary to name a Duke, I will reconsider your request'."  
"Wow, how'd the guy take it?"  
"Very well…until he boasted of it, started a bar fight, got stabbed several times, and finally died three days later in the town's healer house. Anyway, what time is it now?"  
Navi very carefully studied the flowers' shade around them, then double-checked what she saw. "13:06."  
"Huh, something must be keeping her, oh well; she'll be here in a few." Minutes passed, long boring minutes in complete silence, until Link finally asked, "What time is it?"  
"13:14."  
"The audience starts at 13:15 on the dot…Maybe the King asked her to sit in on this one…" She walked slowly up to the window of the courtyard that looked into the audience room. The window was one where she'd first seen Gannondorf, though that event now seemed a lifetime ago. She peaked in, and saw the currently empty Throne, covered in rich fabrics of purple, blue, red, and green. It's gleaming gilding somehow meshing in with the fabrics to be soothing to the eye to look at. She waited for 13:15 on the dot, and when it came, a voice boomed from a skinny man, in full gleaming armor of a place guard. With every word it sounded as though he would break his armor off just by his voice.  
"Taking audiences today, in the place of His Royal Highness, King Daphnes Hyrule, who is ill, Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda Hyrule!" Zelda, in a long, white dress, with a purple torso emblazoned with the crest of the royal family entered, her developing figure somehow calmly fitting into the throne. From her lengthening blonde hair, shone a simple golden crown with a ruby, emerald, and sapphire in a small representation of the Triforce at the middle.  
"I will now hear pleas." She said calmly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Zelda holding audience? Isn't that a bit premature?" Navi asked a slightly stunned Link.  
"Um…yeah, but Navi…look at Zelda again. Doesn't she seem…a bit older then she should be?"  
"Hm…you're right…maybe I lost track of time in the Lost Woods, I didn't really count the days. So I guess that instead of aging you, Kias really just made you your actual age as far as Hyrule was considered."  
"You're saying that I spent a few months in Terminia, and I didn't age a day there?"  
"It's possible, I've heard of such things before. Like that one time Kias and her sister Mies got stuck in a temporal loop, it seemed like two days to them, but they'd been missing for four months."  
"So as far as she's concerned it's been a year since she saw me last, and she's 12, or 13…I forgot her birthday."  
"Her Birthday is a week after Midsummer." Link turned away from the window and looked at Navi.  
"Give or take a day…I'm really good at telling ages."  
"Right…well, now what do we do now?"  
"Don't look at me, you know way more about the castle then I do."  
"Well…if I remember correctly, the entrance to the main audience chamber is right at the end of the great hall, however there is a service door from the kitchen that goes to the hall directly behind those curtains. And the delivery entrance to the kitchen is right after the entrance to the courtyard."  
"So, we wait for audience to be over, sneak in though the kitchen and catch her in the hall."  
"We could, or we could sneak up to her room and hide in there for her to return."  
"Or young Hero, you could just come with me." Said a familiar, matronly voice behind her. Link turned, and found Impa right behind her.  
"Hi Impa…" She said, slightly embarrassed that Impa had managed to sneak up on her. Only slightly, because she'd never been able to catch Impa when she didn't want to be caught.  
"Hello young Link. Though I am glad that you have provided a reason for the castle guard to be reprimanded for their lack of concern with intruders, I have to ask…Why didn't you use the pass Her Highness had sewn onto your favorite belt?"  
Link stared daggers at Navi. "Oh…I wanted to try the old way in…"

Impa wasted no time escorting Link and Navi to a waiting room not far from the main audience hall; it was a lavish room, with several couches, easy chairs, and even a bed in the corner. Everything was decked out in greens of every shade, with emerald green having the most area, and forest green a close second.  
"Please wait in the Farore room; I will inform Zelda of your arrival after the audiences. I have instructed the Kitchen to bring up a meal for you; a servant will be here with it in half an hour." Impa said as she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.  
"Nice room, I see why it's named the Farore room." Navi said.  
"Yeah, when I first came here it was in disrepair, this room was built more of a technicality then out of an actual use. You see, the Farore room was built for the comfort of visitors from the Forest."  
"Ah, but the Kokiri can't leave the Forest."  
"Yep, so this room hadn't seen any repair work for…well, probably for as long as the room existed. But Zelda ordered it repaired and maintained, just for me."  
"Cool, doesn't hurt that Farore is also the Goddess of Courage"  
"That's the actual reason that it was repaired."  
"Oh…Well…erm…what do you wanna do until Zelda's here then?"  
"Sleep until the food comes, then eat, then if she's still not here, sleep until she is." Link said, moving to the bed and kicking off her boots, and then she placed her sword and shield up against the couch nearest the bed. Without any more pretence, got between the covers and was instantly asleep.

Link dreamt of the fairies again, only this time it seemed more like a trial then just a talk. She floated above them, while the dark green one spoke.  
"Kias! You stand accused of Magic most foul! How do you plea?"  
Kias floated, right in the middle of the group of fairies, it seemed that all eyes were on her. "Guilty!" Muttering came from all the fairies, it seemed as though none of them truly wanted to believe that she had done it.  
"So be it!" His voice seemed to shake the very land of Hyrule. "Kias, in punishment for your crime, you are hereby sentenced to…"

Link awoke with a start, to find Princess Zelda hugging her. Link tried to speak but Zelda spoke first.  
"I know what happened." She gave Link a quick squeeze then moved over to one of the chairs, a fine one made out of what looked like Redwood with a glorious stain that made it shine. Then she resumed her royal bearing. Link shook the sleep from her head and slipped out of the bed and onto the couch, to eat the food laid out for her.  
"Finally!" came the relieved voice of Navi, as she led Impa into the room. "You slept like a rock and snored like you were Death Mountain erupting!"  
"Thanks Navi…" Link started eating; the food was amazingly still fresh.  
"I had to order food taken back before it spoiled," Impa told her. "You slept for almost a week."  
"I was about to summon a healer to see if you were sick, but then Navi told us what had transpired in the forest, and I realized that your body must be readjusting itself," Zelda said, a slightly worried look on her face.  
"So what have you found out?" Link asked between shoveling bites of bread and cucco into her mouth.  
"Nothing, all the court mages and court healers are preoccupied with my father's illness, they have had little time to do more then run tests and search though countless books trying to find out what's wrong with him."  
"Any luck?" Link stopped eating long enough to get her question out in one try.  
"No," Impa said in her most motherly tone, which to Link still sounded like the monotone of a professional guard, with a slightly gentle touch. "They have had more luck finding cures for old age then finding out what ails His Highness."  
"What's even more disturbing is that he wasn't like this until about three months ago…" Zelda finished her sentence as Link spat out her last bite.  
"Did you say three months ago?"  
"Yes."  
"That's around the time I got back from Terminia."  
"Terminia?" "It's another world, kind of like a mirror of Hyrule in odd ways."  
"Tell us about it," Zelda implored Link.  
"You get me some more food and I'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the place."

Several hours and many fold that number of dishes; Link finished her story of Terminia.  
"Wow…so you had to relive and do everything again within three days?" Zelda asked incredulously.  
"Yeah, and there was a lot to do…I actually spent all of my last cycle there making sure everyone and everything was happy…that was quite a bit of work, but I figured that they had just thought that their world was gonna end, it was the least I could do to give them all hope for when the moon didn't crash down on them."  
"What if it was already too late to stop the moon?" Impa asked, showing her rarely seen curious side.  
"Then I would have had to go back, and try and make the hard choices to decide who should be happy…wouldn't have been easy with all of those people, let me tell you."  
"Did you bring anything back with you?" Zelda asked.  
"Yeah, but after Navi and I had to use my belt to alter my clothes, I think all that's left is my Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield…both of which aren't strongly magical."  
"Actually Link, I saved one of your bags…it seemed to have quite a lot of things in it, so I put it into my own personal space." Navi floated towards Link. "I can pull the bag out right now, if you want."  
"Sure." Link tried to hide her joy at having not lost everything that she had gathered in Terminia. As Navi pulled the bag out of whatever space she had stored it Link noticed it was the bag she'd held all of her masks in. "My masks…this is great, I really did want to keep these!" She opened the bag and pulled out the Zora Mask. "Do you all want to see one of those transformations I was telling you about?"  
"Sure!" Zelda let her curiosity get the better of her as she answered and Link pressed the mask to her face. The transformation seemed normal, a moment of pain, which was now numbed by her many other transformations by now. Then a moment of pressure, as if everything was being crushed and expanded at once, it was also the point that the involuntary scream always escaped her lips. The transformation ended with a temporary blindness, Tahl, the fairy that accompanied her though Terminia has said that during this part was a bright flash of light, when the actual transformation happened. When it was over Link was taller, felt slightly lighter, and she definitely was a little slimy. She was still a she, and was a little disappointed by that, she hadn't really expected the mask to change that, but it was a little hope. Her tunic had turned into something with a bottom of a long loincloth with some fabric covering up her parts, and a top resembling that bra thing Navi had gone on about.  
"Wow, I never thought you could look good in a bikini!" Navi giggled, actually falling out of the air from all of her laughing.  
"Very…striking," Impa said, disapproving of both Link's current state of dress and Navi's laughing fit.  
"Wow, impressive magic," Zelda was being very successful at ignoring the bikini. "If one of the court mages could copy this it would be a great advantage in any terrain."  
"Cool, isn't it?" Link's voice took on the fishy quality of the Zora's, but it was much less than it had been other times when she had the mask on.  
"How do you take it off?"  
"You just kinda gotta feel for the edge of the mask, it's not really there, but the magic lets you feel it and you take off the mask. After that, it's just the same trip back to normal, only this time you don't scream."  
"Why did you scream?" Impa asked with an eyebrow raised.  
"I don't want to, it just happens. I think the mask does it so that whatever pain is released out instead of actually being felt, because before that it feels like you have a paper cut all over."  
"Her Highness was correct, this magic would be most effective almost anywhere. With the right mask a hopeless journey on the Northern Seas becomes effortless."

Link took off the mask, resuming her normal form just as a knock came at the door. "Is everything alright? Some said they heard a girl's scream from this room." It was one of the many guardsmen. Impa answered the door, and everyone instantly heard the guardsman sputter.  
"Mistress Impa!"  
"Yes Guardsman Second Class?"  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that any children under your supervision could ever be in any danger!" The poor man was shaking so bad that Link could hear the plates of his armor clink together.  
"It's alright Guardsman, you were only doing your duty, now please return to your post. I will be speaking to your commanding officer about your sense of duty shortly, Guardsman…"  
"Kimbala ma'am!"  
"Thank you, good work Guardsman Second Class Kimbala."  
"Ma'am!" Impa closed the door and once again faced the group.  
"Well, now that he's taken care of, we should start making arrangements for Link's stay in the castle, I doubt we can have her stay here for too much longer."  
"Not to mention you're gonna need another name," Zelda looked at Link.  
"What's wrong with Link?" Link asked defensibly.  
"Well, it's not a very common name, and if a boy with the name left, then a girl who looks exactly like him came…it would be very awkward to say the least."  
"Fine then, Linkia!" Navi sputtered at this, breaking her long recovery from her laughing fit.  
"Too many people would get that! They'd figure it out sooner or later."  
"I don't see you coming up with any!"  
"Mercy"  
"What kinda person names their kid Mercy?  
"What kinda person names their kid Link?" Navi retorted, still giggling a little.  
"What about Anell?" Zelda Suggested, "It's Old Hylian for Link, and it sounds more feminine then Link or even Linkia."  
"…Alright, but everyone here has to swear to call me Link whenever we won't be overheard…and I refuse to have whoever will be working on this problem calling me Anell either."  
"I'm ok with that," Navi said, actually calming down.  
"Sure," Zelda said, looking at Impa.  
"If that is your wish," Impa agreed under Zelda's look.  
"Now, we just need a cover story and some official reason for you to be here."  
"Country girl who came all the way to the city to offer what services I can to the Princess." Link suggested. "Or maybe Impa could say that I'm a Sheikah in training."  
"That wouldn't work, no Sheikah is sent into the outer world without all training completed," Impa let just the barest trace of spite from insult in to her voice. "We could have her be a Lady in Waiting."  
"No, even I know that being that would mean eventual marriage to some sniveling lord not good enough for Zelda."  
"It's better than you having to tend to the stables and then not being able to properly shoe a horse when the time comes."  
"Actually…there is a position that hasn't been filled since my mother died…" Zelda said thoughtfully.  
"Princess, the position of Secret Lady is only filled by Sheikah, and only when the Queen is not of the blood, in both cases it is not appropriate." Impa said calmly. "Though…I suppose a position that would act as the Secret Lady could be created, named the same and given to a favored Lady in Waiting…"  
"Excuse me, but what is a "Secret Lady"?" Link asked, looking between them.  
"When a Queen marries into the Royal family, by law and custom of the Sheikah, they are not under their direct protection until the King formally requests the protection of the Sheikah to be extended. However, before this official request even takes place a Sheikah female is placed into her royal entourage as a Lady in Waiting, always to serve the Queen until death. They were even given a special amulet that would allow them to create the illusion of different clothes, hair color, eye color, shape, and would even to a small degree imprint on them so that if the amulet was damaged they would remain undercover."  
"Cool…any catch?" Link asked, intrigued.  
"You are forbidden to have children…"  
"No Problem"  
"…unless the Queen commands you to carry her child for her."  
"Wait, what?"  
"If the Queen wishes it, or the healers demand it, a Lady in Waiting can actually have a spell cast on her and the Queen, transferring the child to the other's womb, it also works in reverse."  
Zelda giggled, "Don't worry, there hasn't been a case in need or commanded to happen for over a hundred years, and besides, I would never put you though that!"  
"…Alright, I'll take your word, what else?"  
"The brevet rank of Brigadier General in the Army and Commodore in the Navy" Impa was ticking her answers off on her fingers.  
"Brevet means conditional, or temporary, right?"  
"Yes and in this case also means that any other Brigadier General or Commodore can overrule you. After three years of service you will get a promotion, then the Queen can ask the General of the Army and the Admiral of the Navy to make the rank permanent, anyway you will receive a promotion twice more after three years each."  
"Anything else?"  
"A room right across the hall from the Princess', wardrobe, weapons, formal wear…everything else a Lady in Waiting gets."  
"Sounds good…let's do it."  
"I will make the arrangements, meanwhile, Princess, I believe the Royal Mages wished to speak with you about your father."  
"Very Well…I'll see you soon Link, and I'll have to be calling you Anell…" She rose and left, with Impa trailing behind her.

A guardsman came shortly after Impa and Zelda left.  
"Lady Anell?" He said, his voice kind of shaky, and something about his uniform seemed rushed. It took Link a moment to realize that he was talking to her.  
"Yes?" looking back into what she assumed to be the man's eyes. She silently cursed the helmets used by guardsmen.  
"I am Guardsman First Class Kimbala, I am here to take you to your room ma'am." That was why his uniform seemed rushed, Link mused, he was just promoted.  
"Very well Guardsman, may I ask where my room will be?"  
"I've been told that you are to be right across the hall from the Princess herself, so you will be in the Royal Chambers. The Royal Chambers are made of all the rooms where royals other then the King and Queen live." Link knew this of course, and had to remind herself not to tell Kimbala that.  
"Really? Then I would also see Princess Dina and Prince Ferao?" Link Spoke of Zelda's younger siblings, both named after two of the Goddesses. Zelda would also have another sibling, but it, and her mother died in childbirth.  
"Yes, Their Highnesses will be on either side of your room, and when they begin to have their own retainers, they will be on either side of Zelda's room."  
"Very well, please lead me there now…and inform the tailor that I will require their services." Link said, thinking of her current outfit. It was perfect for hiding Navi, as the Fairy was currently in her hat, but it wasn't fitting of a lady of the court. Realizing what she just thought, she quashed the thought of being a lady, but couldn't think of a way to politely take back the request.  
"The tailor has already been informed, as has the jeweler, the hairdresser, and the manicurist."  
"Very good," Link followed the Guardsman out, silently wondering how she was going to be able to keep up the act long enough for one of the Royal Mages to take a look at her.


	4. Chapter 4

Link tried her hardest to act impressed with the room she was led to. It was lavish, with enough room to fit her old house three or four times into it. Every surface gleamed with the light that showed that the gilding was well cared for; the wood stained and polished expertly, even the fabrics, all greens and purples, shined dully from their high thread count. She actually wished she could be impressed with the room, with its huge four poster bed, the ornate ash changing screen, the gilded oak sofas and chairs, all with silk upholstery and throw pillows, the fine carpet that was the only thing that wasn't purple or green, but a nice rosy red. She wished to have oed and awed like it was the first time she had seen such a room. But all she could do to act was to stand their silently.  
"Speechless? Don't blame you, the first time I saw a room like this it took my captain a whole half an hour to get me out of my stupor," Said Kimbala, following her into the room slightly. "Right, as I said, Her Highness Princess Zelda is just across the hall. His Highness Prince Ferao is to your left as you walk out, and Her Highness Princess Dina is to your right. The common room is down the hall to your left, and the baths are after the other set of rooms on the other side of the common room, where the others of Hers and His Highnesses court will stay."  
"Thank you Guardsman, I think I can handle myself for now." She said, turning back to him, trying once again in vain to decide where his eyes were. Then thinking quickly, she bowed slightly.  
"You're Welcome Lady Anell. The tailor, jeweler, hairdresser, and the manicurist will be here shortly," He bowed. "Just ask any other Guardsman for directions should you be lost." He left, closing the door silently.  
Link sighed, looking around the room. It was very large, and looking into the only other door in the room she found that she had her own toilet and sink. Looking into the wardrobe she found it large enough to hold everything that she owned several times over. She had just dropped her sword, shield, and mask bag down next to her bed when the door nearly slammed open. Looking she found three very beautiful women in dresses made to fit them very snugly, and a Goron carrying a large wooden box.  
"Oh, look at those rags…No wonder the Princess insisted we come immediately!" Said the first woman, with blue eyes and long red hair, wearing a dress of dull orange that showed off what little figure she had.  
"And that Hair, so gorgeous, but so dirty and short!" Said the second, with brown eyes and similarly colored short hair, her dress was also orange, but bright and mixed with black at the sleeves it showed her even smaller figure off.  
"And her nails, positively caked with dirt, but I'm sure we can do something about that!" Said the Last, with green eyes and shoulder length blonde hair, her dress an eye-bleeding combination of shiny yellow and red that almost hid her, from what Link could see, expansive figure.  
"If I may first, misses?" Said the Goron, moving to Link holding out a measuring device. He quickly crossed the gap between them and took a measurement of Link's ring finger.  
"Hm…I should have this done shortly before dinner is called milady, I will start work immediately, if I may use your desk?" He said, pointing to a small, delicate looking desk with a single chair.  
"Um…yes, of course."  
"Thank you milady." He said, walking to the desk, dropping his box delicately on it and opening its many latches. Link would have liked to have watched any Goron craftsman work, but a suddenly as they entered the three women grabbed hold of her, the two in orange dragging her by her arms.  
"Let's give her a good washing first ladies! To the baths!" The one in red and yellow acted as though she was the leader of a parade, leading them back to the baths. At a near dizzying speed, so fast that Link couldn't even see the common room they were at the baths.  
The Baths were a large room with many marble columns, there was a single, large heated bath where the majority of the bathing took place, with walls that rose slightly above the water along the side farthest from the door. Towels made of the finest cotton lined the far walls like white tapestries. There were two others in the room, a young girl; about eight with golden hair and green eyes was splashing around near the center of the bath under the watchful eye of a female attendant. Link knew immediately that the girl was Princess Dina, and the attendant was one of the Sheikah. But even those simple deductions were all she had time for before she felt a breeze as she was striped by the women, and thrown into the bath. Water surrounded her, and then she breached the water's surface to the sounds of giggling.  
"Nehsa they're funny!" The Princess's young voice echoed though out the room.  
"Indeed Princess…now, come, we must get you ready for supper."  
"Awwwww…but Nehsa, I wanted to play with her, she looks like she's fun!"  
"Later, when both she and we have more time Dina."  
"Oh…alright." The young Princess paddled over to the side where Nehsa waited with an open towel.  
"I still don't understand why I can't just walk back to my room and dry off there."  
"It wouldn't be proper for a lady." Nehsa said, leading them out the door.  
Link watched them go kinda sadly, she had hoped that someone would stay. She was so distracted by them that she didn't notice the three ladies descending on her with soap and washcloths. So she actually struggled for a little against the hands dragging her to one of the underwater benches. Then the washing began. Everywhere, she felt the hands of the ladies washing, her chest, her back, her neck, her face; even between her legs they attacked the dirt with a seemingly endless vigor. Then after just a few minutes they stopped as two of them, the ones in orange actually, took her arms and held her hands out to the lady in red and yellow.  
"Now, just to give them a nice scrubbing, I'll save the real work for dear Milsay," she nodded to the lady that wore orange and black. She, Milsay, giggled a little as the red and yellow took out a fine brush or ivory with stiff, tightly packed bristles. Red and yellow scrubbed mercilessly at the dirt and blood that still caked Link's nails. Link didn't Mind the scrubbing, until she realized that at least twenty minutes later the woman was still scrubbing at the nails on her right hand and hadn't even started on the left. After about five more minutes red and yellow looked to Milsay.  
"Dear, you wouldn't happen to have anything to take care of this, would you?" she held up Link's hand. Her nails were the cleanest they'd ever been, but then again, she'd never bothered to really take care of his nails, and she could see that they still had dirt caked in places and under the nail was a black line of dirt, blood, and grime.  
"Dear me, Abatha! I might just have to do a deep treatment; I haven't done one in years!"  
At this point the other two gasped, and muttered between themselves.  
"A Deep treatment, where did this girl come from?"  
"I don't know, but if she needs a deep treatment then it must be bad!"  
"My dear girl, where are you from?" Asked Abatha.  
Link tried acting cool, she had to come up with a plausible answer, and fast.  
"Between the Forest and Lake Hyrule."  
"The Forest!" they all said together, obviously she had blown her cover, as she looked for some way to slip out of their grasp and sight, they started chatting at each other again.  
"The Forest! Poor dear, probably lost her family!"  
"If half the stories are true I'm surprised her nails are THIS good!"  
"Oh yes, the poor dear needs a deep treatment right away, but perhaps we should finish this good scrubbing, I'll work on the other nails, you two work on her hair."  
"Right, Yeada, perhaps a little hair growth is in order?"  
"True, Milsay, I think maybe a foot would do."  
Link spoke up, she couldn't be silent while they were planning to give her another foot of hair! She had already let it go too long. "I like my hair short."  
"Of course dearie, but you can always make it shorter if need be…" Link tried to move away, but with a little muttering the hair growth spell hit her. Her hair splayed out before the water.  
"Oops, got a little carried away with myself, though I guess Three feet is a nice even number."  
"Yeada, you always did go too far with your hair, didn't you?"  
"A little, oh well, let's wash it, it's turning a wonderful strawberry blond…" Link didn't need to move at all to notice her hair as its entire length flowed about her body. It had gained a slight reddish tint to it, making it seem more like pink streamers then hair. Though it was quickly bundled up into a braid that both Yeada and Milsay where making together, their hands lightning fast. As Abatha took extra vigor to Link's left hand nails. As She did that Yeada and Milsay started chanting a spell over Link.  
"Don't worry dearie, it's just to make sure the only place there's hair is on your head." Said Yeada as they finished. Then as suddenly as she was put in to the water, she was pulled out swiftly and wrapped into one of the many towels. Then just as quickly dragged back to her room. They completely ignored the Goron craftsman as they threw her behind the changing screen and onto a footstool that was there. The towel was ripped off her just as quickly and they swarmed her with tape measures.  
"Bust…B34, she's nicely filled out for her age"  
"True, her hips are a nice 32…"  
"And her waist a near perfect 27…this should make getting her properly fitting clothes a very easy task."  
" Very."  
In a moment Link suddenly had a bra and panties on, in a another a corset, three more later she had a complete dress on, a blue dress, similar to what Zelda wore, but the mark of the Royal family was silver, which Link knew meant she was a personal servant of one of the family.  
"Have a good day dearie! We'll have more sent to you soon!" the three women were out the door before Link could say goodbye. Over at the table, the Goron chuckled knowingly. He turned to Link, his box closing itself.  
"Tell me did you figure out which woman was the tailor, the hairdresser and the manicurist?"  
"Um…I think the one they called Yeada was the hairdresser, and the manicurist was Milsay?"  
He chuckled again, "you milady have just learned more about them in that single session then I could in three years serving as the Royal Family's Jeweler. I thank you for the use of your desk, here is your ring," He handed her a ring made of silver with a ruby that had an eye in the very center of it. The band of the ring seemed to have a tear drop down from either side of the ruby  
"Never was ordered to make that design before, but I hope it is adequate. Fare well milady." He left quickly, following the three women, leaving Link with the ring in her hand.

A soft knock came at Link's door shortly after the Goron left.  
"Come in," she said, turning to face the door, which opened to reveal Impa. She came in quickly and closed the door so softly Link couldn't even hear the latch click.  
"I see you've met Yeada, Milsay, and Abatha." She said, looking Link over.  
"You know them?"  
"Of course I know them, they married into the Sheikah; they will never wear a ring like yours, but they serve and will give birth to a new generation of Sheikah."  
"What is special about this ring anyway? The Goron who made it said he'd never had to make one like it."  
"The Ring has no innate magic or power by itself, it however shows that you have been fully accepted into the Sheikah clan."  
"And they haven't?" Link asked, puzzled and sitting down on her couch, proud of not messing up the dress doing so.  
"There is Marriage into the Sheikah, and being accepted by the Elders, they did the former, you the latter." Impa explained, taking a seat on one of the armchairs.  
"That fast? I mean, I didn't think anyone could have moved fast enough to go, get approval and be back here to tell you…though I don't know where the Elders are."  
"You are correct however, it would be impossible for even one of the Sheikah to make the journey in less than a day. But you were granted acceptance to the Sheikah shortly after you left to go on your journey. During your weeklong slumber I took the time to go to them, explain what had happen, and return with your continued acceptance."  
"You left Zelda unprotected?" Link, shocked beyond believe, asked.  
"Please young Link, even if I was gone a year, Zelda would be no less protected from harm, there are very few who work here in the castle that are not a Sheikah in some way. In fact I daresay she was better protected during my absence, as an assassin would not know who to have to avoid."  
"Well…ok then. So the ring just tells Sheikah that I'm one of them?" Link asked, putting it on.  
"It also lets top officers of the military know that you are the eyes and ears of the Royal Family, but yes, it has no overt power normally. That is saved for the Amulet you will be receiving tonight." With that three chiming bells sounded.  
"Dinner's ready…I'd better not be late." Link said, standing quickly.  
"Neither should I," Impa rose, and opened the door. "We should be flanking the Princess as she exits the Royal Chambers."  
"Right, they exited the room together, and after barely a moment in the hall, Princess Zelda exited her room in front of them.  
"Ah, Impa, Li…Anell, how good to see you two are getting along well." She said, giving them a smile. "Well, we better be off, my Father is well enough to eat with us tonight, so it won't do for us to be late. I expect Ferao to already be there."  
To their right, the door next to Link's opened and out walked Princess Dina. The eight year old royal was dressed in a relatively simple dress of white with a deep purple sash around her waist that had the Royal Family's crest on it. Behind her walked Nehsa, they seemed to be in a small argument.  
"Why couldn't I wear the orange one? I like orange and I hate purple!" Said the young princess, looking up at her taller protector.  
"Purple is the color of your family Princess."  
"Why couldn't it have been orange then?"  
"Princess, just last week you were insisting that purple was the best color the Goddesses had ever created and why couldn't you wear a purple dress with a white sash. Which, if I may point out, was just made for you.  
"Well, I changed my mind." Dina said forcefully, walking to her older sister. "Sissie Zelda you understand right? Your favorite color is red right?"  
Zelda laughed gently, looking at her sister. "Yes, I like red better then purple, but I just have to remind myself that the Goddesses made purple out of red and blue, just as they made orange out of red and yellow, and green out of yellow and blue."  
"…I never thought about it like that…and I do like red and blue a lot too…ok, so I guess purple's alright!" she instantly hugged her older sister, and together they started walking to the dining hall.  
"Does this happen often?" Link asked as they walked a respectful distance behind the Princesses.  
"Every week or so," Nehsa answered with a quiet sigh.


	5. Chapter 5

As they Entered the Dining Hall Link just had to notice that everything in it, from the carpet to the curtains seemed dimmed, all reds where dark, same with the blues and purples, and the yellows and oranges that had once been on the tapestries on the walls where replaced by greens and, by contrast, light blues. The effect of the entire room was very calming on the eyes, dark, and actually very depressing to Link, as she remembered the room as one of the more vibrant in the castle.  
"I see you expected something different Lady Anell?" Nehsa asked. "The Hall was remodeled after the King fell ill, his eyes have become very sensitive, so much so that we have had to employ glasses makers to make darkened glasses for his highness."  
"That sounds like it could be handy for solders riding, have them and possibly their horses wear a pair as they charge into the sun, and then they can just take them off when not."  
"Hm…That is possibly the first good idea of what to do with them after this I have heard, I shall have to take into account how well Princess Zelda picks her court to be cleaver." She said, moving off to stand with Princess Dina. Link Felt Impa's hand on her back guiding her to a sit set to the left of Zelda's, while Impa herself took the seat to Zelda's right. Across the table were Dina, and to her right Nehsa, and to her left another, male Shiekah and to his right was the brown haired, aqua eyed youth that was Prince Ferao. He wore a garment that in ways reminded Link of the uniform of the Admiralty she had once seen, it had epaulets and long sleeves, fine gold threading and was of the purest white. In the place of any rank indicator on the epaulets was the crest of the Royal Family with two gold Bars under it. Link reminded herself that as of the age of 10 all Princes and Princesses that were not in line for the throne where given a commission into the Royal forces in a special rank line provided just for them to give them the authority over both the Navy and Army. The two bars showed that he had been promoted exactly once, so his actual rank was that of a First Lieutenant, or Lieutenant Junior Grade. During the time they were standing and waiting Zelda started making small talk with her brother.  
"So Ferao, how did your inspection of the city guards go today?"  
"Generally good," he said, his voice suggesting false humility. "One who had no respect for a young officer such as myself found himself demoted back to third class though."  
"Oh Ferao, we already talked about this, not many people are going to take you seriously until you get taller!" Zelda admonished him. "You must wait for your body to grow, not for them to fawn over you!"  
"Easy for you to say, everyone listens to you, I have to make people listen!"  
"That's because I'm almost thirteen, already I have about a foot on you, people listen to me because I'm growing up."  
"Then I shall have to order the mages to make me grow up!"  
"Your Highness," Said the Shiekah next to him in a tired voice. "We've already discussed this, the Mages are too busy with your father to properly meddle in the order the Goddesses have set."  
"And you know why they made girls grow up faster Runaz? Because they ARE girls, they hate me and they hate boys!"  
"If that was true milord then why do we exist?" Runaz made such a wonderful counterpoint that Ferao opened his mouth, let it hang there for a moment, and then shut it so forcefully that Link swore she could hear his teeth cracking from the impact.  
"And you Dina? How were your classes?" Zelda switched attention to her sister, as though to let Ferao work his jaw a bit to make sure he hadn't broken it.  
"Aside from Arithmetic great! I never knew the world was round, and then after I was able to go riding on my dear Thea before taking my bath!" Dina answered. "And then before I got out I was able to meet Anell!"  
"Yes, I wonder, how do you know Anell dear sister? I don't recognize her from the castle." Asked Ferao, apparently recovered from his jaw being shut.  
Impa cleared her throat; she had obviously made a story up beforehand. "When she was eight, on one of the rare occasions Zelda was able to evade me for any lengths of time, Anell came across her in the market. They got to be such good friends that by the time I finally found the Princess four hours later they were nearly inseparable. As Zelda continued to sneak out well into her tenth year their bond grew, until finally I brought an end to it by pointing out to Zelda that sneaking out was only worrying her father and everyone in the castle. She had important classes and matters to attend to and she simply couldn't keep sneaking out."  
"Then, " Zelda took the story over from Impa and it became clear to Link that there was no story decided upon, they were making it up as they went. "I begged Impa for one last time with Anell, and finally, after many weeks of begging she consented, and at the end of our visit I asked Anell what she wanted the most in her heart, the one thing she wanted that I could give, and she, having known this entire time that I Was Princess Zelda said…" Zelda looked at Link and Link knew it was her turn to pick up the story.  
"I said to her, 'Princess, I wish nothing more than to serve you for as long as I can'. Well, the day I could begin was today, after our thirteenth birthdays, and so here I am." Link said with a smile, putting on her most girly act, which was pretty good if she had to say herself.  
"Really?" Ferao looked as though he wanted to say more, but at that very moment the sound of muted trumpets raised though the hall, and from the door behind the head of the table came the King, and his Shiekah.

The King, who last Link saw was a middle aged man in peak physical condition, had apparently had a rough time fighting off whatever was ailing him. His garments, mostly bed clothes, hung off him like drapes. His face, once full and tanned, now pale and skeletal. Most of all his hands, thick and strong and able to spin a dagger, toss it into the air and catch it now looked as though they could barely hold a soup spoon. Everything in him looked gaunt, unfed, and sickly. Had Link had a sword with her, she would have offered to put him out of his misery.  
"All be seated, and partake of the Goddesses blessing," As he sat he said the traditional meal beginning of the Royal Family and dropped into his seat. His voice even sounded different, it rattled in his throat and seemed to leak as though out of a poorly made barrel. Link waited for the Princesses and Prince to sit, and then sat down herself, taking the left side of Zelda as Impa took the right and the seats at either side of the King where taken by his Shiekah and a man in pale blue robes, with three stars of green, dark blue, and red on them and gold sewn into his sleeves. Link recognized the basic robe as that of a court mage, so she assumed the gold meant he was higher than a normal mage, or simply the longest serving.  
"So, my dear Zelda, how has court been?" He asked, using his fork to tear into a plate of meat that was immediately served to him.  
"Tiring, father. Everyday more and more suitors come asking for my hand…the sad thing is that one of them was a boy no older than 8 there with his mother, the Lady…Lady DeSute I think it was.  
"Ah, Lady DeSute…my favorite cousin, though she could never get over that it would be I to have the throne…And my Son Ferao, I hear that you inspected the Town gate guards today, I trust that you didn't demote any again?"  
"Of course not father, I would never dishonor your guardsmen over some petty vanity…"  
"But Ferao!" Dina interrupted, "You said that one was demoted to third class for not having respect!"  
"Is this true Ferao?" The King let his tiredness show with his question.  
"Of course not, she must be thinking of some other time I inspected the guards."  
"Ferao, I personally requested your first time to be in this month, and even though I left it to Zelda to decide when, I find it hard to believe that she would schedule you twice. That alone means that she decided to go against my wishes to be informed of the date."  
"…Yes father…" Ferao visibly sunk in his seat.  
"Name and former Rank?"  
"…Julinos…Head Guardsman."  
"Ferao, you demoted the shift leader to the lowest level?…" he sighed, and really showed how much the illness was effecting him as he closed his eyes. "…Melaz, go and find Mr. Julinos, promote him to…Senior Guardsman Commander."  
"Father, that's the highest he can go enlisted!" Ferao was livid.  
"Yes, it is isn't it? But you demoted him four ranks, and it is my great thanks that there were four ranks above him to equal it. Zelda, next time he does such a thing the Guardsman affected is to be instantly granted a commission to Second Lieutenant."  
"Yes Father," Zelda said, wiping a little salad dressing away from her lips with her napkin.  
"Father!"  
"Not another word Ferao!" if anything the illness had made the King even more ghastly when angry, and the full force of gaze upon Ferao.  
"My Lord…your illness, remain calm sire!" Said the Mage, his voice sounding as though it came from his nose.  
"Yes…of course…" He slumped in his chair, and instantly snoring filled the air.  
"Well…" Said Link," shall we leave him to rest?"

Link, after helping the king back into his quarters, dropped down onto her bed, only to hear paper ripping. Looking under herself she found a note ripped in two, putting the pieces together, she read them.  
'Come to the Courtyard at half past mid watch; bring Navi, your weapons, and the new outfit you will find in your wardrobe.'


	6. Chapter 6

Link pondered the reason for bringing Navi with her, and then realized that she had no idea where Navi was. She began to panic thinking of what one of the castle servants would do, and visibly shaking what would happen if a guard found Navi first. Fairies were hard to hit, but they went down with the slightest of blows and the bowman could and would hit her with the first arrow. All of the panic subsided when she heard Navi's voice muffled.  
"Finally, you're back…I'm stuck in the wardrobe, please get me out! It's cramped in here."  
She moved over to the wardrobe "how did you get stuck in there?"  
"When they brought all your new clothes they decided to bring back your old tunic from the baths, so I hid in it and hitched a ride thinking I'd just be on a hanger or something and then I got stuck in here surrounded by your new clothes…and I feel sorry for Zelda if this is even double her wardrobe! I mean, a girl likes clothes but this is too much of a good thing…"  
Link unlatched the lock and a very fast blue light struck out of there, coming to rest dimly on her bed.  
"FINALLY! There was barely room to breathe in there…"  
Taking a good look into the wardrobe Link saw it was packed, dresses of every imaginable color, color combination, style, and even layering where in there. There were a handful of simpler, and in Links opinion way more practical, outfits in back, a few riding dresses in earthen tones, a dress Army Uniform with Silver clasps for the rank instead of the normal gold, and a single, very dark gray one piece suit. That one she took out, and saw that instead of just being dark gray there was very dark purple all along the chest from the top of her bust to her inner thighs. It had a small blood red Sheikah eye on the front of the neck. It entirely covered her, thick cloth with a large patches of leather armor all down the front and back, and wrapping around the arms and legs, there was no protection at the joints at all and if there was any metal in the entire outfit it was entombed in the leather so much that it didn't show.  
"Well I guess this is what the letter was talking about…"  
"Letter?"  
"Oh I'm supposed to bring you, my weapons and apparently wear this thing to the courtyard in a while, I'm supposed to go at half past mid watch…and it's half to mid watch, so I suppose I should start getting this on…"

Link arrived at the courtyard a few seconds late, in her new Sheikah armor, with her sword, shield and all the masks she had left. She was a little upset about the armor for reasons she didn't want to think about.  
"You're late," said the voice of Runaz from behind a bush as he appeared in a suit exactly the same as hers. However his voice held something it had not before, excitement.  
"Oh give her a break," Nehsa appeared from behind a tree Link had walked past on her way here, also in the same suit. "From what Impa said, she's had a very rough Week…"  
"I do hope you take my words at face value." Link was almost not surprised when Impa appeared behind her from nowhere.  
"Ok, Very funny, what's up and what has Impa told you?  
"Everything my dear Hero," Runaz came up to her, fingering a throwing knife in his belt.  
"You seem to be adapting well though, already walking like a natural born woman…" Nehsa walked over to Impa.  
"And this is what's up…" Impa held out her hand and a very dark orb of purple light appeared Trapped in a cage of gold.  
"Let me out you idiots! Oh if I hadn't been forbidden from leaving this place I would have left DAYS ago!"  
"Kias?" Link and Navi said in unison  
"What? You were expecting the Great Deku Tree?"  
"What in the three Heavens are you doing here?" Navi asked in shock.  
"Oh, I'm just being punished, don't you see? These annoying idiots have been after me for days, but once I got to the castle I had to stay until I met with my…master…"  
"Your MASTER? Kias you were never trained to be a fairy guide, why are you being sent here?  
"To be a slave to the one I harmed the most with my unsanctioned attack…" Her aura turned black, "I'm here to serve…Master Link, until at such time you die or she becomes a he again, whichever is first…" "Well…that answers why the fairy didn't use magic to evade us." Nehsa looked slightly relieved. "I thought for a moment it was here to cause mayhem like turning dogs into cats, making it rain honey and such."  
"Simpleton…Fairies can't turn dogs into cats or make it rain honey…not normally anyway. Now that I've had everyone assured of why I'm here, can I please BE LET OUT?" Kias made the last of her voice a shout so loud Link and the Sheikah looked around to make sure no guardsmen where around. When all were satisfied that there were none, Impa unlatched the cage and Kias flew out.  
"Now then, go home." Link tried to make her voice commanding, but between 'go' and 'home' her voice creaked.  
"Can't, I can't go more than five hundred feet away from you at any time, should I be forced to separate I must find the most speedy way of coming back to you possible. Oh, and the higher forms of Fairy magic are forever barred from me, so no, we can't recreate the way you became a female in hopes of reversing it."  
"Well, at least we got that out of the way…can I order you further than five hundred feet away from me?"  
"You must be very specific…for example 'Kias go over there' will not work, however 'Kias, go over there, look around, and then report back to me what you see' will. A beginning, a middle, and an end must be said should it be more than five hundred feet away."  
Impa gave a slight tattering noise and Nehsa and Runaz, without seeming to move their legs at all, where at her side. "Anyway Link, the other reason we called you out here is to present you with this," She held up a small amulet hanging by a thin gold chain, it looked like plain, simple gold. "Show yourself," she said to it and it with a soft glow changed. The simple gold gave way to silver, old without being tarnished, new without being fresh; it held a symbol both familiar and new to Link. In the middle of it was the familiar Sheikah eye, red, gleaming, but on both side and the bottom where the triangles of the Triforce flanked by trees to the sides, a lake at the bottom, and the mountains at the top. At once Link knew that there was too much detail to possibly be on the small trinket.  
"Disorienting isn't it?" Impa said "It's too small to possibly hold what's inside, but it does, so it takes the effect on those not yet touched by it." She held it out to Link. "When you take it you will pass out, possibly dream…you probably will, so touched by magic you are that you will be trained as a Spell Sheikah after you touch this. When you wake up it will be dawn, you will be in your bed clothes, and the amulet will be around your neck. Are you ready?"  
Link hesitated, she didn't like the thought of passing out or having more dreams, but she had defeated Gannondorf, saved Terminia from Majora, and had been transformed from a male into a female, this would just be one more challenge to overcome.  
"Yes," She said. Impa held the amulet out to her. She touched it and instantly blackness overtook her.

The dream was abstract at best and creepy at worst. Gannondorf's face on Ferao's body, wearing a dress that looked like the one Dina wore to dinner. Surrounding it was a wall of swords of every possible shape, size, style, and color. A voice, the Great Deku Tree's, sounded out a mismash of nonsense. Then the view shifted to an older her, standing before the Master Sword as if questioning it. Then there was black and the laughing of Majora just before she woke.

Link awoke in a cold sweat, snapping upright and letting the covers of her bed roll off her. She looked down at the frilly pink sleeping gown she was wearing in a combination of disgust and tactful appreciation on how it made some sense if she had to be seen she would be seen in such ladylike sleepwear. She made a mental note for a deep green version made, as that would at least take some of the sting out of wearing the garment. A quiet rapping came at the door and before Link could more then get the covers off her legs Nehsa let herself in, wearing the normal Sheikah outfit Impa usually wore herself.  
"Good, you are awake young hero, Impa has asked me to assist you in getting dressed."  
"Oh…um…" Link nervously got to her feet.  
"Your apprehension is understandable, but seeing as how I was the one who changed you into your current attire it was decided I should help you."  
"Um…you changed me?"  
"Yes…and pray tell…why were you not wearing any undergarments?"  
"Well…it was so tight and form fitting I thought I wasn't supposed to."  
"Hm…well you are partially correct, the female battle dress does have its own support so a bra is not required, nor wise given how it's supposed to be worn, but why not wear panties?"  
"Um…well I figured after finding out that the bra was supposed to be off that I wasn't supposed to wear anything under…"  
"Reasonable, I'll make sure to leave instructions on how to wear anything else you need to. Thanks to you being here I am no longer the most junior, but I'm also assigned to partner with you, so." She sat down on the foot of the bed. "Anything you need help with as far as…adjusting to your new body?"  
"Impa told you everything?"  
"From your first meeting to your fantastic story of Terminia. Though an entire kingdom being ruled by an elected official sounds like insanity."  
"The mayor only ruled Clock Town, I don't know if there was a kingdom in Terminia that wasn't dead by the time I was there." Link moved to the wardrobe, opening it and examing the dresses inside. She pulled out a simple one piece gold dress. "Can I wear something like this every day?"  
"Nope…that's your day off wear." Link dejectedly put back the dress. "So, how different does it feel?"  
"Huh?" Link Said, taking out a plain three layer dress of deep green.  
"That works. From being a male and a female, how different is it?"  
"Um…well…being a girl makes me feel more…rounded…I guess…"  
"Ok, it was an odd question but it was bursting out of me. Besides we've gotta know something about each other now that we're partners…how about you tell me something and I tell you?"  
"You're not being very helpful with the dressing you know." Link had taken off the sleeping gown, relieved to see that she was wearing underwear.  
"You seem to have a handle on it for now…but come on, I'll start."  
"Fine," Link said hurriedly, as she fought with the first layer.  
"I'm seventeen and my natural hair color is purple."  
"You have to dye it?" Link asked looking at the silver mane she currently had.  
"Don't tell Impa, but I use my dye money on games of dice and use my amulet to make my hair color look silver."  
"Done…" Nehsa finally came over to help Link straighten out the first layer, which she had managed to get on quite well. "Um…can I pass telling you? I think you already know everything about me that's interesting."  
"Oh fine, but come up with something for your next one. If you need to practice the story of Anell, Forest Girl who met the princess and had her dream come true. Might just become a play."  
"Ha, Ha…fine…My Father died last year and my mother was…um…a Gerudo who decided I was too weakly as a baby."  
"Nice try, but the Gerudo babes who are too weak to fight are trained to make and repair arms and armor; besides you'd have that nice skin color at the least."  
"Fine…my mother died of a broken leg when I was seven and we were so close it pains me to even talk about her."  
"Taken by yours truly already."  
"Really?" They started to fight with the second layer, which was not being nearly as peaceful as the first.  
"Yeah…It's been really rough on my Dad…she was the Sheikah blood and when she died my older sister had to start being trained right away…and then a crossbow exploded in her arms."  
"WHAT? How could something like that happen?"  
"She had an explosive bolt loaded and ready to go when the fail safe to make sure it didn't explode in the crossbow actually caused it to jam the bolt. She jumped on the crossbow to make sure it didn't hurt anyone else…she lingered to her fourteenth birthday, then opened her eyes and asked her trainer if anyone else had been hurt. When she was told no one was she said 'Good, I think I'll just take a nap now' and never woke up."  
"I'm sorry." The words sounded empty, like they needed something more to make them worth the air it used to make them, but Link couldn't say anything else.  
"It's ok, really they've both been dead for eight years and I've moved on."  
"What about your Dad?" Link asked as they finally started on the third and final layer of the dress.  
"He's holding up. My youngest sister, whose three years younger than I, is still around, and he's been courting a Sheikah baker about half his age and with double his muscle. Dad always was the smallest of us, I'm taller than him so much he looks at my mouth if we stood together enough."  
"Nice…ok, so how about my mother died when I was eleven, just say it's a very painful memory and I don't like to talk about it…and my dad decided it would be a good idea to move out of the city and into the forest where he met his gruesome end at the paws and jaws of a couple wolfos. I ran to Lon Lon Ranch where I worked for a month cleaning stalls before I caught a carriage into town and came to work for Zelda."  
"Very full, details that while aren't the best imply pain that means you don't want to go back into them a lot. Add some girly tears and brave sounding sniffles and you've got A grade sob story there."  
"Thanks, but yours is a genuine one." She spun around at the completed dress. "You know, this doesn't feel half bad, my legs can finally be warm without being practically rock, or having something creep up."  
"Considering just staying like this?"  
"No, I'll take the cold legs over staying like this all my life."  
"You make it sound like being a female is a punishment."  
"It's not, just I was born a guy, I want to be a guy, and if it wasn't for freak magical mishaps I would have remained that way for my entire life. Besides, if you were suddenly and without warning turned into, oh say a cow, wouldn't you want to change back as soon as possible."  
"Point, but also I'd think of having any form other than your natural one would be a learning experience in some way."  
"Eh…so am I ready to face a day in the life of a lady of the court?"  
"Just about, your braid held your hair in nice and tight, I think it will slide for today. In case you can't tell Sheikah styles are limited to simple braids and cutting it all short."  
"Please tell me I can get simpler dresses for court wear soon."  
"Can't, three layers is pretty much bending protocol and courtly rules backwards"  
"Great…and I bet my first job today is going to help Zelda into her one layer dress…"  
"True but looks can be deceiving. I know for a fact that Dina has only four layer dresses including what she was wearing last night at dinner."  
"See, this is why I want to be a male again, I come in wrapped in furs and holding an Elk or something over my back and no one would do more than say 'well, that's a mighty big Elk he's carrying'."  
Nehsa laughed, "Link, I think we're gonna make a wonderful team. Now then, I have to get Dina up and ready, you have to do the same with Zelda. Your purple fairy, Kes?"  
"Kias." Link corrected.  
"Kias, is in the gold cage in your desk. Navi, the blue one is fluttering about the castle. See you later." Nehsa opened the door and was gone in a flash, without one sound.


	7. Chapter 7

Link opened her desk, looking upon the dark purple glow in the gold cage there.  
"So Kias, have a fun night?" Link asked, trying to keep neutral despite her anger at the fairy.  
"Better than yours I think, the echoes surrounding your magic field seemed to show you were having a nightmare."  
"Just a really strange dream...so what happens if I leave you in that gold cage?" Link didn't want either of the Fairies being around too much. Fae creatures tended to draw people and the dress she had on didn't have much in the way of places to keep a fairy aside from in the skirt.  
"Not sure, could be I'm drawn to you so powerfully I drag the cage along, could be the gold stops all fae magic and nothing happens. anything in between really."  
"Safer to keep you with me then I guess," she opened the cage and Kias flew up to be level with Link's face.  
"Now then, what are your orders?"  
"Stay out of sight, and if Navi tells you to do something do it. Do not hide on my body." She added as an afterthought.  
"Spoil sport." Kias huffed and dimmed herself, coming to look more like a miniature Hylain with gossamer wings then the ball of light most people associated with the fae. "Anything else Master? Want me to call you Mistress instead? A Full account of the magic I can do still? Make some poor lady go through Parthenogenesis?"  
"Parthano what?"  
Kias sighed, her head visibly dropping, "Not very learned for the Hero of Time are we?"  
"Excuse me for saving Hyrule instead of having my nose in a book. What is parthano whatever?"  
"Explaining it for your underdeveloped mind, a lady having a baby without a man, nearly impossible but Fae do go through it and can make others though a..."  
"Wait. Fae go though it? Aren't I part Fae now?"  
"Hm, not quite as underdeveloped as I thought, perhaps I misjudged you," Kias' attitude changed subtly, as though she realized something. "Yes you are part Fae, how much you are I'm not sure, if you will or won't, if you'll grow wings as you go through puberty, if you begin to give off light...you're a first in many ways Hero, and there is nothing to go on."  
"Fair enough. I better get to Zelda, I'm expected to help her with many things today, so behave." Link opened the door and Kias zoomed out to find a good place to hide as Link simply walked across the hall and knocked on Zelda's door.  
"Who is it?" Zelda's voice floated out, with a very slight yawn at the end."  
"Li...Anell your Highness."  
"Come in." Link opened the door and stepped inside. Zelda's room, which he had never been in before, was huge almost as though Link slept in a broom closet. It was dominated by purple and gold, a little pink here and there on throw pillows, and Zelda's sheets were a dark blue. Zelda's hair was held back in a braid and she wore a night gown of pure white silk that must have been worth millions of rupees. She was sitting against her back board, reading a book of law.  
"Anell come closer" Link did, Zelda putting her book on her bedside table. "So, how are you adjusting to life at the castle?"  
"Well, it is very hard change..."  
"No doubt, no doubt." Zelda got out of bed and passed Link a note, "So which court dress do you think I should wear? Purple with gold trim? Gold with purple trim? White with purple trim? Or how about white with gold and purple trim?" Zelda made a motion like reading something as she talked.  
"Um, white with gold and purple." Link unfolded and read the note as Zelda nodded approval.

Link-  
Last night the castle went on full alert, an intruder was caught stuck in the drain that you used to come though, every Royal's room is currently enchanted to relay all sound to the guard posts. Don't even start to say anything outside of your 'Anell' story or you'll be detained as a suspected assassin and even I couldn't get you out.

With that warning squarely in mind Link turned to watch Zelda disrobe out of her night gown.  
"So do you think I should wash in the morn or in the night?" Link's day was off to an interesting start at least. "Well..my lady," Link was trying very hard not to look as Zelda disrobed, down to her naked skin, then Zelda turned around, making Link take a sudden interest in the Walls. "I think there are benefits to both, but I suppose it depends on how often you bathe..." Link was trying not to look, but having once been a 17 year old male she was curious and wanted to look, but also confused. Zelda looked at her and realized what was happening and wrapped a bath towel around her.  
"I suppose tonight would probably be best, as this day promises to be both challenging and exhausting. Court from 10 to 2 then Archery for two hours Followed by Magical tutoring until dinner..." She got a quill and flipped the note over and scribbled something. She then rushed it to Link as she went into her private toilet with a few garments.

Sorry, I forgot. Usually have servants who have been female their entire lives helping me.

Link knew that the princess was truthful, but what was also truth was that she had to get used to the female body, seeing as how she was for the foreseeable future a female. Steeling herself for confusing feelings and awkwardness, she knocked on the door  
"Milady, would you like some assistance?"

Half an hour later Zelda walked out of her room fully dressed for the day, with Link behind and to the left. Getting Zelda dressed had been more of an adventure then a temple or three, but Link had done it without screwing up too badly. Already she was ready to get out of this life and back into her own, male one. Clothes were simpler to say the least.  
"I trust there were no difficulties?" Impa made Link jump as she appeared from nowhere behind them. Zelda however, had the composure not to jump, but to turn around gracefully.  
"Hello Impa, I trust your night was as restful as your day is watchful?"  
"Hello Zelda, I trust your night was as peaceful as your day is protected." Impa took a knee as Zelda bowed. Link was struck, not by the actual ritual, which now she realized was being repeated by Nehsa and Dina a little down the hall, but by the fact that Impa called Zelda by her name to her face. Link couldn't remember the last time, if ever, she saw that happen. Then she realized that this must have happened every day sense Zelda could speak. The full effect of what Impa must actually know about Zelda, how intimate the relation between Shekiah and royal must become, hit her as hard as a Goron rolling full speed. Impa's way of always referring to Zelda as Princess, or Her highness was not a true formality forced upon her by the station, but as a sign of how much she respected the young lady who, for good or ill, she's helped shape, in ways akin to an older sister, or maybe aunt, more than protector.  
"Is Anell ok?" Dina's question snapped Link out of her trance.  
"Oh...I'm sorry milady Dina, I was just...thinking very very hard."  
"Are you ok? Did it hurt? Shall I have Nehsa get a healer?" Dina looked up at Link with a look of pure, innocent concern.  
"No, I'm fine, thank you for your concern milady..."  
"Why do you call me milady? Why can't anyone just call me my name?"  
"Well, milady, that would be very inappropriate."  
"Sissie Zelda, please tell me that I can order people to call me by my name, it's so...stuffy, calling me 'milady' and 'princess' all the time..." Zelda smiled softly at her sister  
"Dina, you know that's not going to happen, and even if you did, you would still be called 'milady' and 'princess' when called on formal matters."  
"I know...but please, just Anell?"  
"Fine...but, I will order her, so I can word it properly." Zelda turned to Link, and with a light heart made her command. "Lady Anell, when dealing in private with me or my sister you are to use our first names only, do I make myself clear?"  
"Yes Zelda" Link was used to calling Zelda by her name, so it was not a big deal for her to correct her speech to follow the order.  
"Thanks Sissie...now then, Anell, do you need a healer?" Dina was glowing with the thought of having her name used informally, even if it was by only one person.  
"I'm fine Dina. Thanks for your concern." Link had to stifle a laugh, trying to remember that this young girl had probably never been called anything but 'princess' and 'milady'. Just then Ferao's door opened and out came the prince in a custom made Army Uniform, a very flashy deal Link thought, and with all the gold trim it was clearly neither for a common solder or the battlefield. Behind him wasRunaz.  
"I told you, no need to go thought that silly ritual every day Runaz, I slept well and so did you, or so you have led me to believe for 11 years of my life."  
"But milord, The Goddesses demand the recitation of it as a sign of the duty that has been placed on..."  
"If they really insist on it they can tell me someway other than your constant moaning!"  
"Ferao! stop being so mean!"  
"I will when Runaz stops insisting on worn out old codes that were obsolete when the Castle was new! the only thing the Goddesses did for me was make the Prophesied heroes just that, heroes! Not heroines!"  
"Actually Ferao the translation of the runes of prophecy are incorrect, while the current official translation does indeed use the masculine, the Runes themselves mean the neuter term "Intercessor of Fates" meaning that technically they could be heroes or heroines." Zelda corrected her brother. Link had never heard of the runes of prophecy, though now she got an idea were the idea of "hero of time" came from.  
"Please, you are going to tell me that the...Intercessor of Twilight, the one who will be beast and man in one, would be beast and woman? What of Wind? The one who would hold the sacred Wind Waker being a female sailor? Those will come to pass when you are a pirate queen!"  
"It is true the other Runes have more a specific meaning to them, and all the confirmed Intercessors have been male up till now, but other than those the wording is very unspecific...for example The line for of Time states 'After the quest has been done, and returned to the form of their childhood, then they shall learn of the duality of self'.  
Link was spared more debates about Runes as the bell for Breakfast rang out its cheery tone. She fell back to speak with Zelda as privately as possible  
"Are you saying that these Runes of whatever have preordained this? For centuries?"  
"It seems so...though it does go on to say that the duality shall be undone...though how so is vague"  
"Great..."Link followed Zelda to the dining hall, wondering just what else the Runes said.


	8. Chapter 8

Breakfast was light, at least as far as Link was concerned. She had pouched eggs on wheat toast, mango juice and a small salad of greens tossed in an herbal vinaigrette. Zelda had much the same, but her eggs were over easy. Dina, who decided to sit next to Link, had scrambled eggs and sweet fruits. Ferao seemed to be in a foul mood, as he continually sent back his Steak and Eggs for such things as too little salt. Breakfast was long, but it did give Link time to consider the other two royals she would be seeing quite a bit of now that she was expected to be at Zelda's side constantly.  
Dina was your typical small child, always questioning and asking, but also with a bit of a streak against formal learning. There was no doubt she had a sharp mind, but Link couldn't see her having a sharper mind then Zelda. Though on reflection that could be because she knew Zelda was chosen of the Triforce of Wisdom.  
Ferao was a direct contrast to both of his sisters, first he was nearly always complaining. Second, he actually enjoyed bossing people around. Zelda and Dina both took to commanding with an air of them asking politely. They never barked an order or yelled simply asked. Ferao took to commanding as though he was smashing the people around him with a hammer, hitting someone if not his target. Link noticed that while they got the same results, Ferao's was always that much quicker, and less precise. Not that it was Link's place to say anything, but in her opinion something needed to be done about Ferao before it exploded in someone's face.

After breakfast Zelda had no free time, as she went directly to court, in which Link had to sit in a small plain chair behind and to the right, but still in clear sight of the audience. Once or twice Zelda held her head back, and nodded as though receiving advice, and she either nodded or shook her head in slight, but noticeable ways. Otherwise there was little in the way of things for Link to do, and the lack of lunch until after 2 made her increasingly uncomfortable. Link could have sworn that once a Goron merchant, who had brought a gift for the king, stopped mid-sentence when her stomach gave a rumble.  
Sadly, and much to Link's Displeasure, Lunch was a little more than a light salad for her and Zelda. And this was before Zelda's Archery practice.  
"What is with the food here? I'm used to salads, but at least give me enough to fill me up." Her stomach rumbled again, as she helped Zelda out of her formal wear and into a riding dress.  
"Girls have to keep their figure, the salads here are designed to give us enough to eat, but not make us chubby."  
"Yeah, well most girls haven't been guys, haven't sealed two separate evils, and have enough sword experience to take out a White Wolfos with a single swipe."  
"Just complain to the Nutritionist and she'll calculate out a new meal plan for you."  
"Um, what's a Nutritionist?"  
"I'll introduce you to her after Archery." She led Link, also in a riding dress, out to a practice lawn in the castle. Most of it was taken up by a huge archery range, but about an eighth of it was taken over by a melee ring, with wooden weapons stacked carefully by, everything from swords and axes to halberds and an odd Weapon Link didn't recognize, it had a blade on each end of a two hand handle that was as long as the Master Sword's blade. Two soldiers were there, practicing in full armor, one with an axe and the other with the odd weapon. The odd weapon user was obviously female. Dina was already here, at the far end away from the melee area, working on the largest targets with Nehsa.  
"Why did I never see this before?" Link asked.  
"I honestly don't know." Zelda shrugged and moved over to Impa, who was already waiting at the middle target range. Link would say the target was about as large as Epona when she was an adult.  
"Lady Anell, I give you leave to practice on your own, I can instruct the Princess alone" Impa said, giving Zelda a bow and planting what Link would say was 40 arrows in a standing quiver next to the target line. Link, having nothing better to do, grabbed a bow and five arrows from the wall, and went to the hardest target, which she would say was the size of a Rupee and just started shooting. The first arrow went wide, as Link got used to the bow and her new arm strength. The Second arrow hit the very left edge of the target; the third was to the far right. The Fourth and fifth both hit the center mass. Link wished now she could use a riding range, but lacking that, picked her arrows up, and resumed shooting, all five hitting center mass. And again, 8 more times Link shot her five arrows, and each time they all hit center mass.  
"You're good with a bow, but what are you gonna do when they get in close?" Link jumped, having forgotten the melee area was right next to her, the female solider was leaning against the divider, the male one long gone. Link recovered herself quickly, and putting the bow in the standing quiver turned to the solider, who had her helmet off now, showing her long blond hair and purple eyes.  
"Well, I think I'm better with a sword."  
"Really? You ever try to take someone with a Rel'qi?"  
"A what? You mean that two bladed thing?"  
"Yeah, using it an actual battle is an art form, that's why I like it." she flashed a grin that was almost feral.  
"No, Never even seen it before today"  
"Then how about a match, your sword and my Rel'qi, two out of three rounds, to win a round get three hits to the torso."  
Link grinned, about time she could practice again.

She was First Lieutenant Rika Tailhom. In armor she was an imposing figure, but out of armor she was incredibly homely, she had a small figure. Despite first impressions was also shorter than expected, at most 4'11''. She wore a purple tunic that greatly reminded Link of what she wore back when she was 17, and male aside from it being longer.  
"Alright, no Armor, best out of three rounds, each round ends with a hit to the torso, are the terms." Nehsa said. Dina, having refused to go back to archery, insisted that she be the referee.  
"Agreed," She twirled the wooden practice Rel'qi behind her, holding it in a reverse grip.  
"Agreed," Link was wearing an orange tunic exactly the same as Rika, and she held her single sword in a two handed grip, forgoing the heavy training shield going for speed.  
"On the Princess' arrow," Nehsa turned to Dina and nodded, who then shot an arrow at the second hardest target, missing it completely, but even this observation cost Link time, as Rika came rushing at her, slashing fast and hard at her sword, batting it out of the way with one blade, and letting the blade swing her around so the second blade slammed into Link's right arm. Link rolled away, sucking in air from the pain, and swung her into empty air, she had rolled too far away. As Link was trying to figure out how she went too far Rika came back with a vengeance. Catching the first blade under the sword and throwing it away. The round would have ended with the second blade catching Link in the ribs, if she hadn't put her right arm up. Link rolled around to her sword, seething in pain, she used her left arm to swing it wildly at Rika. This time, Link didn't miss, but hit Rika lightly in the leg. Rika, instead of responding to the hit just took the point of one of the Rel'qi blades and put it right on Link's left breast  
"Round, Lieutenant Tailhom," Nehsa said as Link got back up. Her arm didn't feel too good; Rika hit hard and fast, and got it in the same spot twice. It felt numb and when she tried to grip the sword again her right hand was very weak. It wouldn't have bothered Link so much if she had gotten a good hit in but Rika just mauled her. They retook their places for the next round, Link trying not to feel the pain, and willing her hand to tighten its grip. It was not to be so though, as the round started, Rika came in, and hit her on the right side, throwing the sword to the very side of the ring and gently putting the point on Link's right breast  
"Match, Lieutenant Tailhom," Nehsa leaped over the ring and went to Link. "Lady Anell, are you alright? She got you good in the arm."  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Link said, feeling weak. "Just..."  
"Hey, you're good, why'd you let me hit your weak arm twice in a row?" Rika asked, coming over. "I mean, that first time you had no control, but the second."  
"Um, yeah I didn't think about that, I just put my arm up." Link said, showing her arm, which was starting to turn blue and purple.  
"You might wanna get that checked out, even these practice Rel'qi can do nasty stuff."  
"I'll be fine," Link said, perhaps a little too quickly.  
"Well...alright. I'll go and get into my uniform, if that's all you wanted today."  
"Wanted? Don't you have duties?"  
"I'm the melee trainer, this is my duty 80% of the time." she said, looking at Link. "Have I seen you around before? A year ago or so?"  
"Um, no can't have, I was still near the forest."  
"Oh, so that's why you thought you could take me. But still..." Rika shook her head. "Anyway, I have to go and file the proper reports on this, injuries and all. You sure we haven't met?"  
"Very sure." Link said, nervous.  
"Alright, come see me if you want another go." She said, walking off into an open air hall way and going into the first door.  
"Why didn't you use a shield?" Nehsa asked, as Zelda finished with her archery and started heading over to the ring.  
"Well, I figured to try for speed and mobility over those heavy training shields."  
"You were wrong, and paid for it by your body giving you that second bruise."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Your muscles know what they're doing; they were trying to raise your shield, which you usually have on your right arm. Instead all you got was pain and some good bumps."  
"Alright, fine I was wrong." Link looked off at the door Rika went through. "Why would she recognize me anyway? I've never even seen this part of the castle until today."  
"Do you remember the 14 year old trainee who you fought the last time you were here and encouraged to take whatever weapon she wanted to use?" Link thought hard, It was a year ago, but one person stood out, a tiny girl with dirty blond hair who barely stood half a head above the then 11 year old boy. Then it hit her.  
"SHE'S Mouse Ka?" Nehsa nodded.  
"Yes, after you left she hit a small growth spurt and her hair became totally blond. She got her commission six months ago, and then promoted when her superior retired three months ago."  
"Great, just perfect, Mouse Ka beat me. If she ever finds out this was me..." Link stopped, she had never seen Impa smile, but at that very moment Impa was smiling at Link while Zelda took Dina over to the far side of the field. She had a really bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

Impa's smile loomed over Link, like a snake waiting for its prey. The smile itself was in all fairness a nice smile, a beautiful smile but seeing it on Impa made Link shudder involuntarily.  
"How was that humble pie?" she asked, as Link backed up and slipped. Impa lost her smile, and Nehsa caught Link.  
"You ok?" Nehsa was honestly worried.  
Link took a moment, and then pointed at Impa. "She can smile?" it turned into a yell which brought a giggle from Dina.  
Impa was taken aback "Why couldn't I?" Thinking about it, she was right. Link couldn't think of a single reason why not.  
"Well...you don't do it often" Link looked away into the sky above, a sky that was rapidly filling with dark gray clouds. It was going to rain soon, very soon. Nehsa helped her up, and then went to rush Dina inside. Link got the feeling from the exchange that Dina loved playing in the mud with the rain. Link herself had loved the rains in the forest, as they were usually light and in the deepest forest it was truly a unique sound of hearing the water hit the leaves far enough above that it never reached ground. Now it seemed all the rains were heavy, hitting hard and fast accompanied by wind that rushed around you, blowing up though clothes no matter how well covered you were. Link felt a new urge to get inside before any wind found her.  
"Come on Anell, I need to introduce you to the Nutritionist anyway." Zelda said, taking Link's arm and tugging her in. For some reason Link's legs refused to work.  
"Nu...oh the guy about the meals?"  
"Girl actually, the only female on the Kitchen staff."  
"Wait, all the cooking is done by guys?" Link's legs slowly crept back into working order.  
"Yes, something about girls not being able to cook right."  
"But all the cooking elsewhere is done by girls."  
"I never said it was true, I was just explaining why." Link nodded, understanding.

By the time Link, Zelda, and Impa reached the Kitchen The sky had turned steel grey and rain was pouring down in sheets. All the candles and other lights (such as magicked crystals, or mirrors) in the castle were lit. The Nutritionist was a nice lady, probably around 50, her graying hair matched the color of the sky outside, and after casting a simple spell, left to come up with a meal plan for Link that dealt with Link's metabolism being almost twice as high as Zelda's. Then with the relentless rain, wind, and now lightning completely throwing off the schedule of the day, Zelda and Link went to go and visit the Wizard's Tower. At the very top of the tower was the experiment room, a room filled with glyphs and books, and candles of different colors, anything one would need to either invent a new spell, or preform any ritual needed. Under this experiment room there were three levels of storage for magical components. Directly under that was the Head Wizard's Chambers. Most who entered the Chambers were alarmed at the apparent size, and no one had even got beyond the office. This was where Link and Zelda were on their way to now. Link had no trouble climbing the stairs, but every third floor or so Zelda had to stop to rest.  
"It's not that hard." Link said, after about the fifth time she had stopped to rest.  
"Link, which of us actually has memories of defeating evil, and has actually done it recently?" she said, exasperated.  
"Which of us are used to wearing dresses as heavy as all of my equipment from defeating those evils?" Link countered. Zelda just stared at Link, and Link felt that someday her life would depend on being able to avoid getting that look. Later, after two more rests, they were outside the Chamber door. A sign saying 'Out' hang on the door knob. Zelda, exhausted from the trip up saw this sign and lost all composure.  
"SON OF A..."


	9. Chapter 9

No words came from Zelda's mouth, she made the movements with her lips, but her voice was gone. Link stared at her as Zelda realized what had happened. With a huff she put her hand to her face.

"What's wrong?" Link asked

"It's an enchantment" came a voice from below them, along with the clanging of metal on stone as a bear of a man wearing the robes of a junior apprentice rounded the corner, a walking staff in his left hand, being used to pull himself up the stairs.

"No child of the royal family may curse until they are either regent or eighteen whichever comes first." His voice was smooth, almost musical, like a constant beat of a kettle drum. He took up almost the entire stairway, with close cropped hair the color of fresh mud, and blazing green eyes that combined with his scarred face and crooked nose to give him a decidedly dangerous look.

"Junior Apprentice Quinn Opper," he bowed his head "Milady Zelda, and her lady..."

"Anell." Link gave a slight curtsy.

"Lady Anell... good to meet you, I've only been here three months myself, still meeting new people every day. Either way, the Princess will be able to talk again in an hour. And seeing as my errand seems to be the same as yours, would you like to come back to my office?"

"A Junior Apprentice with their own office?"

"An accommodation on the count of my legs." he banged each with his walking staff, and a hollow metal tune echoed out. "But that's a story for another day, or at least until we reach the office."

"Thanks, but I doubt you could help us with this issue..." Link curtsied and was about to try to squeeze around Quinn. "

Fairy magic on you?"

"Excuse me?" Link was taken aback.

"Fairy magic on you...or rather in you." He tapped under his eyes, "Magic sight. Was born with it, and you're either a fae whose had one powerful spell put on you, or a young...boy I'd guess who got in between a fight between...Forest Fairies...right?"

"How in the three Goddesses names did you get all that?" Link stood back, nervous.

"You glow pink...and you don't curtsy like any female would, I'd also guess from your reaction your transformation into a female was less then welcome and something you'd like reversed as soon as possible."

"You...you got all that from a curtsy?" Link stammered out.

"I can see magic and read people, slows down my reactions a bit though, hence the legs" he banged them again for effect. "So any other questions?"

"Can you help me?" Link asked.

"Nope, junior apprentice. I can hurt you if you want, but I doubt you want the kind of fireball I can throw headed to your face. Anyway, let's get down to my office, we can talk more there." he stepped aside with a clang, and Link led Zelda down the stairs.

The office was small; more like a broom closet with a desk and a few chairs, in the left corner behind the desk was a full suite of battle armor save below the knees. The Desk was covered in papers and books, two chairs were to each side of the office. Quinn took the desk chair, and bent over to mess with his legs, Zelda sat on the left, and Link sat across from her. "So...want to tell me what happened, or want me to figure out the rest?" "I was caught in a fight between two fairies, you figured out the rest." "Oh, that's different than what I was thinking. If it was one fairy then that would be easy enough to get out of your system, or at least that's what the books say." he picked up a new looking, blue covered book and flipped though a few pages. "Basic Spellworking?" Link read the title aloud "How junior of an apprentice are you?" "The most junior actually, until a few months ago I was Senior Mage Sargent of the 4th Calvary, lost my legs in a training accident and the regrowth didn't take" he said, reading though the book. "Having to do a lot of catching up in the area of spells that don't make things explode and the like. So what's your real name?" "I'm not sure I should tell you." "Fine Anell. Ah, here's what I was looking for. 'Fae magic is the magic of nature, and when used becomes a part of the item or creature for a yet unknown time. it can be forcefully removed, but the effect of removal depends on the amount removed and how many fae'." "So...what does that mean for me?" Link asked, not sure that she understood it. "Basically we can remove the fae from you, but we don't know if it will make you a boy again, or keep your age or anything really. In fact we don't know much of anything about how it affects the living simply because it's so rare." With a small cough Zelda regained her voice "Can we trust you?" "Of course my lady, but why ask? The resources of the castle are at your command, you could snap your fingers and most wizards in the world would be here to work on this. Fae magic is something many wizards would give their legs to work on. I would know the price of not having legs." "Yes, but would they treat Anell as a person or a test subject?" "Ah...good point." He stared uncomfortably at his books, and was saved from further talk by Impa practically busting down the door. "Princess we need you down in the audience chamber now!" "Why? what's wrong?" "Your father the king has slipped into a coma," Impa was pale, and behind her was the Sheikah that was with the King at dinner, equally pale. "We need to name you Lady Regent now so no usurpers can take the throne. "Then...the healers think he won't live long." "They say it will be a miracle if he survives the night."

Link wasn't allowed into the castle's temple while Zelda was receiving the Rite of Regency so she waited outside. She stood across the hall under a painting depicting the goddesses' earthly forms, not the golden forms Link had heard about what seemed like two lifetimes ago by now from the Great Deku Tree. To Link's left stood Quinn, who was following her for some reason she didn't know. To her right was a huge retinue of servants and officials and lords and ladies, all muttering and looking at her, which made her increasingly uncomfortable.  
She yawned, it had been hours, or at least felt like it had been, since Zelda and the High Priests entered the temple. Followed shortly by the knocking of the Court Mage, and letting him in. Then the knocking of the Captain of the Guard and so on and so forth until the traditional refusal of personal servants, and then the traditional argument by Impa and blah blah blah. Link almost went mad just listening to the carefully crafted speeches. Finally, with stomachs starting to growl with the onset of dinner time fast approaching the doors swung open, to show first the High Priest.  
The High Priest was an old man, wrinkled and bald, his head would be completely hairless if not for his bushy eye brows which looked more like small dead mice then hair. His eyes were perpetually closed looking. Covering him from shoulder to toe was a pure white garment trimmed with gold and the Triforce in the middle of his chest in gold, then below it in red, green, then blue. In his left hand was a walking staff, which served no purpose that Link knew other than letting the man walk, and behind him were two younger (which is to say, they still had hair) priests, and nine young priestesses, three each in red, green, and blue dresses, which covered them from shoulder to calf with a v-neckline and no sleeves.  
"Behold" he said, his arms spread wide, the robe giving the idea of Dove's wings. "The Crown Princess Regent Zelda Nayru Hyrule!" He then stepped to the left, and let Zelda though. Zelda didn't look different too be honest, the main difference was she now wore a different tiara, more ornate, and less delicate looking, and held a scepter in her right hand. Everyone bowed or curtsied, and Link followed suit just as the dinner bell rang. Everyone turned to Zelda, as if to ask who would be allowed to be at dinner.  
"Private dinner if you will," she said, and a lot of people sagged and walked off, leaving just Link, the Princess, Impa, and Quinn.  
"You are not invited," Impa told Quinn, to which he bowed  
"Yes I expected as such, just I wished to ask the Princess for permission regarding her lady in waiting to study the magical interactions within her...or him?" he grinned, and then before Link could blink again Quinn was against the wall, a knife at his throat, Impa having slammed into him hard.  
"You will die before you blackmail the princess or Link!" Impa whispered to the corridor.  
"No Blackmail intended!" he gasped,"Magic sight, let me see...figured out the rest"  
"Impa let him go, it's true." she gave a growl, and slipped the knife away, then gave one last shove to Quinn and returned to Zelda's side.  
"As to that, you must ask Lady Anell."  
Link didn't have to think about it for very long "If you can teach me to throw fireballs and stuff like that, you can study the magic in me all you want."  
"Good, I'll give you a schedule later. In any case, I'll let you get to your dinner."  
"Impa that was uncalled for," Link said as Quinn hobbled off and they made their way to the dinner hall.  
"In your opinion, but I shall be keeping a close eye on him, maybe I need to restrict your activities to those strictly under the Shekiah..."  
"That's really not needed, he's a good guy."  
"That is to be seen."  
"Impa, he's in the castle, he's got to be good."  
"You don't know the castle like I do."  
"Point, but I talked with him."  
"You and the princess have known him a combined total of maybe 2 hours."  
"How long did the princess know me before..."  
"Enough!" Zelda forced them both to back down. "This will wait for later, first we shall eat dinner with Ferao and Dina. Then I have a meeting to go to discuss plans for my father's funeral, and then a vigil praying for his recovery."  
"That's a bit ironic isn't it? a vigil for him after plans for his funeral"  
"Well we're doing all we can for him, but right now the truth is the truth, and..."  
"LINK" Navi and Kias came flying up to her lightning fast "Something's wrong!"  
"The Magic in the castle just went all screwy."  
"And it's focused on the King's chambers!"  
"He's dying, couldn't that be it?" Link asked them.  
"No, it's pure Nature magic! Only great spirits such as Jabu Jabu and The Great Deku Tree can manipulate it!"  
"And even then, not nearly in these amounts all at once!" Link looked over at Zelda, and she was pale.  
"Impa, give the order to move my father NOW!" she barked out the last word and Impa was gone without so much as a blink.


	10. Chapter 10

The King was moved swiftly to the honored guest chambers in the southern wing of the castle. No one understood why and Zelda, without precedent to go on, insisted that in private her father had told her the southern wing was the nicest in the castle. The mages that weren't currently trying to make the king better were told to read the magic in the air. In the meantime, dinner was served, eaten, and a meeting attended, which proved very, exceedingly boring for Link. Then an hour long vigil for the king and time for bed, which led back to the chambers for Link to help Zelda undress and finally back to Link's room for her to undress  
"How do they wear these things day in, day out?" she wondered to Navi and Kias as the flitted about her head and she took off her gown down to just her bra and panties.  
"You'll get used to it, what we should really be worried about is the Nature magic coming from the King..." Kias chimed.  
"What? It's coming from the King, not the King's chambers?"  
"At the very least it's following the King," she landed on the top of the mirror as Link got into her Shekiah outfit for her training tonight. "It shifted from the East Wing to the South Wing almost as fast as the King did."  
"Kias is right," Navi settled on the desk as Link sat down on her sofa. "It's either following the King, or coming from the King, and either one means trouble for the castle."  
"What kind of trouble?" Link looked at the window, waiting for Impa or Nehsa to get her.  
"Don't know, just it's not good for that much magic to be in one place for any amount of time, it could start to warp reality around the King, or even be the cause of his sickness."  
"Then why wouldn't anyone else had been effected?"  
"Simple," Kias took flight to hover in front of Link's view. "The Castle's wards are trying their best to protect the occupants, but when they fail, and fail they will...well you'll either get a small rip in the universe or several people turning into dogs or sheep or whatnot."  
"Or both." Navi joined Kias.  
"Or a small rip and most people turning into some combination of animal and hylain."  
"Or..."  
"Ok, I get it, it's bad." Link almost yelled at them. "Any telling how much time we have?"  
"Well...could be a couple weeks, so long as no idiot decides to cast a fireball spell at it"  
"Could only be hours...but again, no one cast fireball at it."  
"Basically, don't cast fireball."  
"Nature magic hates fireball."

Meanwhile...

Quinn Opper was showing off to all the other apprentices the destructive magic he mastered as a Mage Sargent  
"NOW THIS CLASS!" he yelled to the practice yard, between thirty to forty apprentices, a mix of boys and girls ages six to twenty "IS HOW YOU CAST ICE SHARD!" With a wave of his hand a line of practice dummies fell, obliterated by a blizzard of razor sharp icicles. The Apprentices went wild. After days of being locked up inside studying books the younger ones needed time off and the elder ones were inspired, and who could blame them.  
"FIREBALL FIREBALL FIREBALL," The crowd chanted as volunteers set up new dummies, doubling the amount.  
"Alright...ALRIGHT!" He yelled out to the group, letting fire erupt in his hands. "FIREBALL!" They cheered, and the fire roared, condensing into a tiny ember which he then juggled, until he hurled it down range. Unfortunately, the magic practice yards were right next to the southern wing of the castle...

There was a deafening roar.  
"What in the world?" Link asked  
"Someone cast fireball?" Kias asked.  
"Someone cast fireball..." Navi sighed, as screams filled the air, and Impa burst in the door.  
"Here, wear it!" She threw a face mask at link, which caught it out of the air and put it on. "Grab whatever gear you need from the baths, and then meet in the main garden in fifteen! Bring the fairies!"  
When Impa was gone Link turned to the fairies and asked  
"The baths?"

When Link stepped into the baths she realized just how perfect the idea was, the Sheikah using it as a hidden armory. It didn't hide for long from her through, as the indentation to place a ring glowed red to her eyes. Without hesitation she got it opened and marveled, for just a moment, at the small size of the armory that could arm half the castle. She took a light bow, a long sword, two short swords, a quiver of 30 arrows, and a shield that appeared to be the same type she took into Terminia but redone with the Shekiah eye in smoky blood red on a field of grey and blacks. Her Shekiah outfit was surprisingly helpful in getting everything to fit and attach properly. She considered for a few moments throwing knives, or some caltrops, but seeing as how she didn't know how to use them she left them behind. She had opened the armory, gotten what she needed and was running to the main garden all in under five minutes

"Alright," Impa said, to Nehsa, Runaz and Link, who was last there, with Kias and Navi in tow. "Link, do Navi and Kias have anything to share with us?"  
"Just this all started, whatever started, because someone cast fireball too close to the king, whose apparently either giving off large amounts of nature magic or is being followed by large amounts of Nature magic.  
They just stared at her.  
"Really?"  
"Fireball?"  
"The King? Link, take Nehsa and get to His Highness anyway possible, if this is the reason for his sickness, your mask should uncover the source and then you two can deal with it, I and Runaz shall patrol for monsters."  
"Careful, they said it could have started turning people into half animal things, so make sure it's attacking you first."  
"Understood, Link...May the Goddesses grant you victory this night."

The Castle was eerily quiet as Link and Nehsa made their way to the south wing.  
"What about the Princesses and Prince?" Link asked, long sword drawn, it's blue steeled blade reflecting no light.  
"There are others watching them, what's more important is we get the situation under control." Nehsa answered, her hands gloved with leather and black painted spikes as her primary attack.  
"Emergency!" Bells started ringing out, as someone called out throughout the castle "Monsters in the Southwest Courtyard!"  
"That's the Magic training courtyard. I bet it was some apprentices out for some late practice."  
"It doesn't matter, let's move." Link started running, which was awkward at first for her, as she hadn't run much sense the transformation, but they quickly got in step and to the mostly empty courtyard. Two apprentices, both guys about twenty, were using lighting to keep Redeads and Stalfos away from the walls as archers a floor up picked off dozens of them at once.  
"Where's Senior Apprentice Opper already?" one yelled to the other.  
"Opper? Quinn Opper?" Link asked.  
"That's him! He started this mess with his fireball, and he's still out there!"  
"We can't stop for him," Nehsa told Link, "our first duty is to the King."  
"But if he started it, then the rip is there, in that courtyard!"  
"You're right, but right now the situation is under control, we need to move on before the King is in more danger."  
Link knew she was right; they needed to get to the King and make sure he was safe. She didn't like leaving anyone in the mist of any monsters and this was far more than just a few, but they had to go. Reluctantly, she and Nehsa made their way up the stairs and to the southern wing.

The southern wing was loud, disturbingly loud with the sounds of animals and monsters, two wolves ran past the nearest hall way, and the door behind them clanged disturbingly loudly  
"Who dares enter my domain?" A chilly voice rang out. "Who dares not bow before me, Lord King of Magic?" a wave of nausea ran over Link but it was gone before anything came of it, but Nehsa was doubled over in pain  
"Nehsa?" Link was concerned, and put a hand on the girl's back  
"I can't...breathe..." the rest was a scream as her mouth extended, and her nose too, very quickly, her face started looking like a cat's, in fact very shortly she was more cat then Shekiah, from the ears which itched their way up her head, to the tail that shot out of her, to her feet which quickly became paws, and her legs which became catlike. All covered in a smoky grey fur, and her eyes, when Link could see them, becoming silted "Ow..." she said, her voice slightly purring now.  
"Are...Are you..."  
"Yes, I'm fine mostly...Shekiah rings make sure that no matter what only death can stop us from our duties..." she showed hers, now on a furred hand and glowing violently.  
"Good…" Link helped her up "I can help if we can get a magical ocarina, or something else magical instrument."  
"Don't suppose the Wind Waker will help?"  
"What's that?"  
"That's a no, alright, let's go and take out whoever did this to me."  
"Why I'm right here and you!" a ghostly figure, which Link could only say looked like the King with the lower half of a dodongo, a staff in its hand pointing at her "You disobey me? I shall destroy you! It powered up a spell in its staff and flung it at Link, which she deflected back with a well-timed swing of her sword He didn't expect that and in a flash of light  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The ghastly figure yelled and exploded, leaving behind its staff  
"That's it? Usually it takes at least three times..." Link said, pondering the weakness of the so called 'King of Magic' and picking up the staff, which was copper with a diamond on its tip.  
"Maybe not" Nehsa said with a catty growl, and leaped onto link's back, tearing at her with her new claws  
"What the hells?" Not thinking, Link flung the staff full force at her back, which Nehsa leaped off with newly cat like agility, making Link bruise herself right between her shoulder blades  
"This vessel might fight back, but at least its powerful!" Nehsa's eyes glowed neon green as she licked her hand.  
"Let her go!"  
"No, I like this body...true, female isn't my style, but a few days and I'll be able to fix that easily" Nehsa finished licking her hand and came at link with two fast swipes both to the chest. One Link blocked with the staff but the other got through and tore open the front of Link's outfit from neck to belly button. Link then turned the staff around and hit the possessed woman in the head with the diamond of the staff, which started to glow. Before Link could ponder this or attack further Nehsa leaped into the air, hanging from a candelabra on the wall. She hissed and threw knives, which Link dodged all but one of. The one that hit sliced open her leg pretty badly, and it collapsed from under her.  
"See? So powerful...yes, this body will do for now, and if she's a good girl I'll even keep it female for a few decades..." Nehsa climbed down with wall, the spirit in her making her new form purr. Link willed her leg to heal. She'd done so before when gravely injured but always she'd had a potion or a fairy to bring her back from the brink of death, now all she had was herself.  
"Come on, come on..." she muttered constantly, backing off as much and as fast as her leg would let her. For once she thought willing it to heal was actually helping. Could it have been her imagination, or had it stopped bleeding?  
"Now then child, I'll have my staff back, it's so dear to my heart."  
"You can have it when I'm dead!" she said, smacking the diamond into Nehsa's ribs, and it glowed brighter, Link's Leg was defiantly better  
"You little!" Link swung with diamond into Nehsa again and again, each time slowing down the reactions, each time the diamond glowed brighter  
"Stop it, you can't defeat me with my own staff!" the glow mostly gone from Nehsa's eyes.  
"I think I just did!" Link slammed the diamond into the small of Nehsa's back, and with a yowl Nehsa slumped down, unconscious. Link took the diamond out of the slot and looking at it, saw the face of an old, evil man looking back. She placed it on the floor, and with one stamp of the copper staff, it shattered, and left behind not even dust.

Link set Nehsa up to a wall, made sure she still breathed, and then continued onwards. Nehsa would understand, King first after all. Link's front was in tatters but still protected modesty, so she took the throwing knives that had been thrown at her and connected the two parts of her front with a pair of them and made her way down the halls. Filled only with Animals, and not, as she had assumed earlier, monsters, she saw pigs, chickens, an entire pack of dogs, more cats, ducks, rats, mice, and she was pretty sure she saw a lion or two, but finally, she made it to the king's chambers. She opened the doors quickly  
"King? Your Highness!" Link called out.  
"Please, no need to shout." Came a soft voice from the right. "I'm right here." Link turned to the voice.  
"Um, King..."  
"Yes, I know..." The King was no longer old, or frail, or indeed many things the King once was, from the long blond hair to the soft face, the difference just there was extreme, but most telling where the breasts and figure of a woman clearly visible under the night robe of the King.  
"I think we would best be calling me Queen Hyrule now."


	11. Chapter 11

"You seem...remarkably calm about suddenly being female if I may say your Highness." Link was leading them back to Nehsa, and she felt the need to break the silence between them.  
"And you seem remarkably ready to accept I am indeed the king." The new queen said, trying not to trip over her now too long robes. "Let's just say I've sensed a great change coming for quite some time, that it is only this is a blessing. Besides, I always wanted a large family…"  
"Are you seriously considering getting pregnant?" Link stopped and stared.  
"Why not? This body is young, healthy, supposedly fertile, and it would pull a great many eyes away from my daughters, give them time to come into their own as it were. I thought you would appreciate it at least."  
"Why do you say that?"  
"As a female I assumed you'd be for a male learning how it is to be a female, and isn't pregnancy the ultimate form of femininity?"  
"I'm not as for that as nearly as you'd think." Link was now regretting starting this conversation.  
"In fact, now I'm wondering if you could help me figure out who should sire the new children?"  
"Of...Of course your majesty," really regretting.

"Duke Kolima is a good choice, but he's also my second cousin, so perhaps too close? But that would mean Count Ravenhall is out too." The conversation continued on and on, all the way back to Nehsa who was up, awake, and purring at Link. "Hello Sheikah...perhaps you could help too, trying to decide which Lord should sire my new children..."  
"Um, is this?" Nehsa asked between purrs  
"Yes, this is the King, or Queen now." Link sighed.  
"Indeed, and you shall help me decide, wouldn't you?" The Queen petted Nehsa between her catty ears, bringing further purring.  
"It would be my honor, but your highness, aren't you...well, going to try to become male again?"  
"Well yes, but if that fails..."  
"SPEAKING OF," Link was desperate to get off the subject. "I know a song that played on a magical instrument heals the body, removing the effects of outside forces."  
"Oh good, the Chapel's organ is magical, so go and gather all the animals and we'll get them healed and see if this is perman..." the queen turned and vomited all over the floor "oh...I don't feel too good all the sudden..." Link took the arm of the queen, and put a hand to her forehead.  
"You're not feverish, but let's heal you and Nehsa fast, then worry about everyone..." with a bark behind them Link turned to see what seemed to be every animal following them "...else. Never mind."

Shortly everyone but the Queen was returned to their normal form, and with Quinn Opper somehow having fought through and sealed the rip he made, Link made a quick exit to the courtyard, and to take off her mask.  
"Great, so now the King's a Queen, Nehsa has a cat mask and somehow I think this is all connected to me..."  
"Why say that Link?" Impa appeared behind Link, making her jump. "I already know, and I don't think it's your fault."  
"I didn't say it was my fault, I said it was connected. The King started getting sick when I got back from Terminia, now less than a week after I get here, the King becomes a Queen? What's next? Ferao becoming a giant...whoreish...Zora?" Link was upset, and was starting to show it. "I mean come on, the Queen, yes we have to call her the Queen now, was talking to me about guys, as in, which one to have her..." Link couldn't say it, just the idea made her skin crawl.  
"I understand, but remember this: He was my king far longer than he was yours. You spent most of your life in the Forest, or out on quests, I have spent my life here in the castle, serving him or his father, or his daughter. If I can deal with the, I admit somewhat disturbing, idea of him becoming a pregnant queen, you can deal with it too. Though I doubt I'll be talked to about how dreamy the dukes and counts are. Did Nehsa give you the mask or keep it?"  
"Kept it, something about it being used to keep Dina in check..." Link still had racing thoughts about the entire ordeal. "Still...think I should leave?"  
"No, The Princess needs you. We need someone resistant to those kinds of magic like you are. And I believe the Queen will want to talk to the Shekiah who rescued her."  
"But what if you're wrong and I really am just bringing all this down on us?"  
"I am not wrong Link. But there is something coming, something beyond us, but not beyond one of the fabled Heros."

When Link awoke the next day her head was ringing. She was desperately trying to get the images of her nightmare out of her head. Rising quickly, she went to her sink and splashed cold water on her face.  
"I will not become a happy mother of six with another on the way, I will not, will not..." she repeated this mantra as she got dressed, and bumped into Zelda in the hall.  
"Um...aren't I supposed to help you with your dress?" she said, stunned, then noticing the two other girls behind Zelda, both brown haired, green eyed, busty and in stunning red dresses that let everyone know that last part even if they didn't want to.  
"You would, if you were not the most senior member of my court and I excused you from it...Meet Lily and Rose, my new ladies in waiting and your new subordinates."  
"Subordinates? You mean I get to boss them around?" Link looked at them, their stares blank and creepy.  
"Yes but do try not to make a habit of it. Now, I understand something...disturbing happened to my father late last night during some trying circumstances which I have just been made aware of and he's resting in the infirmary. Lady Lily please find out if I can visit him, Lady Rose please find the time to fit it into my schedule. Lady Anell, walk with me."  
"Yes your Highness..." Lily and Rose said together and walked off.  
"By the Goddesses, that was trying...I know it was you who rescued him, is it true that...that..."  
"Your father is on the same side of the gender fence you are now." Link said, keeping an eye on the hallway  
"Oh Ferao's not going to take this well. Ever sense mother died he's had it out for all girls. He's going to take this as a slap to the face from the goddesses."  
"So let the little guy vent, I can take him."  
"And then he has you beheaded the moment I'm not there. Ferao in case you can't tell isn't exactly a sterling example of obedient or wise."  
"There's got to be something we can do, because your father went, shall we say, into the deep end of femininity."  
"He did say he wanted more kids but couldn't bring himself to remarry after mother died," Zelda sighed. "We can't keep Ferao away from him forever."  
"Not to mention how disturbing it actually is that your Dad is now considering being a Mom. I was there first hand..."  
"Bet your dreams were interesting." Link shivered at the memory of her nightmare.  
"Promise me we'll fix this before I go that far off the deep end."

Saying Ferao took the news poorly would be the understatement of the year, after unleashing a string of profanities and sexist slurs (most of which Link didn't understand) he stormed out of infirmary.  
"Well...that could have gone better" said the new Queen. "Dina, how do you feel about this?"  
"Um...well so long as I get to boss around my new brothers and sisters I'm fine." The Queen laughed and patted Dina's head softly.  
"And Zelda?"  
"Wondering how come you're so calm about this. It makes no sense."  
"Yet here I am, even wanting it."  
"Look, Father...Mother...whatever, we must look at the fact this is unnatural, and quite disturbing to many of us." Link silently thanked Zelda for saying that.  
"Fine...I'll hold off but no promises."  
"Good, now come on Dina, it's time for your arithmetic class and for me to hold court."  
"AWWWWWWW, Do I HAVE to?" Dina whined.  
"Yes, arithmetic is important, now come on."  
Link walked behind Zelda, but as fast as possible. As soon as they were out Nehsa took Dina off and Link and Zelda had some alone time.  
"Now that I have other ladies in my court, you don't have to come with me to court."  
"Thank the Goddess; I don't know how you do it."  
"Yes, well, I may still tell you to come with me some times, but for today I give you leave for your own studies."

With most if not all of the day to herself, Link for the first time in a long while had nothing she really needed to do. At first the freedom was liberating, so she went back to her room, and sat around in nothing but her underwear. But she was bored quickly with nothing to read and looking at herself in the mirror really made her self-conscious of being a female. She thought about taking a bath, but if she was self-conscious in underwear it would only be worse completely naked. Finally she gathered herself, dressed in her Sheikah clothes and mask, and made her way out the window and to the infirmary. If she was going to have a disturbing chat with a now disturbingly feminine Queen she might as well get it over with. No one questioned her as she made her way to the Queen's side  
"Mi...Milady you called?" She said, nervous and really not wanting to hear any more of the queen's thoughts on babies.  
"Ah yes, Sheikah, I must thank you for dealing with me last night. I hope it was not too distasteful to you, our talk that is. I get the feeling you don't exactly like men."  
"What?" Link didn't know what the Queen meant by that, so she got defensive. "I like men..." and then what the Queen was saying hit her like a Goron rolling full speed.  
"Oh really...then it must have just been you didn't like the subject?"  
"Um...well coming from you it was quite a surprise...I mean you were a guy just a few moments ago then right?"  
"In all honesty it felt like I'd grown up again, a whole eighteen years and being told every moment of every day I would need to be strong and produce good heirs. But then you rescued me, and here I am."  
"That's a bit disturbing your highness. What could do that to the King, and what would?"  
"WE may have an answer to that!" Rika and Quinn ran into the room, actually Rika ran, and Quinn hobbled as fast as he could.  
"What are you two doing here?" Link asked.  
"Quinn was discussing with me the events of last night and it reminded me of a story I once heard."  
"Yes, right here," Quinn plopped down a copy of The Collected Fae Tales "It's not much to go on, but it's a start and easily confirmed."  
"Basically the story goes that once there was a Queen..."  
"Well that already doesn't fit, we had a King," Link interrupted  
"Yes, well, she was a Queen that didn't rule, her son had taken over regency when she came under a terrible illness, then one day the Queen wasn't a Queen anymore."  
"She had become a man, a King, but not just any King, a King blessed by the gods, from then on his offspring were avatars of the Divine essence of the gods."  
"So...you're saying that this happened again, but this time we have a King turned Queen?" Link asked.  
"Exactly, it says here and I quote 'when time has passed that this has faded into all but legend, until only told as a story to children, then it will happen again but this time, with a King became Queen'." Rika had flipped to the page with the story on it and read out the passage, while Quinn busied himself preparing a spell.  
"So, what's this all mean in the long run?"  
"Long run, eventually we're gonna have avatars of the gods, short term, it gives us an answer as to how this happened." Quinn cast his spell with a muttering. "Yeah, there it is...Divine energy flowing though you now...wait...this isn't right."  
"What?" The three ladies said in unison.  
"There's some sort of growth in the abdomen...like a cancerous tumor."  
"Oh boy..." Rika put her face in her hands.  
"What?" Link and the Queen said together.  
"Your Highness...last night did anything weird happen?"  
Other than getting turned into a female? I threw up, why?"  
"Oh..." Rika and Quinn said together.  
"Why do I have the feeling Ferao's gonna be even more upset?" Link asked.  
"She's having babies."  
"Oh..."

Link, Still in Sheikah clothes quickly made her way to the Audience chamber, were Zelda would be making both the announcement of her new regency, and what happened to her father.  
"Therefore until such time as my father, or as she prefers it by now, Her Highness the Queen, is able to resume any role..." Link made her way up to the throne and caught Zelda's eye, then ear.  
"We might have a situation concerning your...father." she whispered into Zelda's ear.  
"Hm...Today's court is hereby canceled, and all criminals here to plead are granted a reprieve of 24 hours." She announced to the waiting room, causing no small amount of moaning and groaning from those gathered to present their cause to Zelda. When the room was nearly empty she got up and turned to Link and in a quiet voice asked.  
"Now then, why did I do that?"  
"The Queen...Your highness, you are going to have a new sibling..."

"I can't believe you!" Zelda was upset. "I told you not to do anything, do you have any idea what this will do to the family?" She was yelling directly at the Queen, which was something Link never thought she'd see.  
"I told you to hold off, and apparently you can't even do that...Ferao is barely going to accept you as is and then you run off and get yourself..."  
"Um, Milady, according to what I've been able to tell, this isn't exactly her fault, she was impregnated last night when she was approached by a male soul." Quinn was brave, as Zelda was in a rage by now.  
"A male soul? A male soul? Now you're telling me her soul is a rampant, unrelenting..."  
"Milady calm yourself."  
"Calm? I am calm, if you could imagine what this would do to Ferao."  
"Ferao isn't the one we're concerned about right now milady."  
"But it's all that matters; because Ferao's the one we can't control, no woman can, and that's going to reflect so badly on the rest of us it might just as well be the end of the line! And then you say this is all the Gods fault, well guess who he's going to blame!"  
"Milady..." Link tried to put a hand on Zelda's shoulder, only to have it slapped away  
"I'll talk to you later for now...for now anyone who wants to be an archery target come to the practice yard." She left in a huff, uncharacteristically knocking things and people alike out of her way.


	12. Chapter 12

Zelda was in a constant state of furious bubbling anger. Court was held and then regretted by everyone when she punished everyone for simply being there. Link was dismissed from duty every day with a terse word and something almost a grunt. On one hand Zelda was so pissed off she was taking it out on everyone around her, but at least she wasn't Ferao. Ferao went around the castle, having made it his duty to punish women for existing and men for any imagined reason his fevered mind could dream up. If they were lucky they got off fined half a day's wages, in they were unlucky or there was a group, they could find themselves doing sudden drills for a fire, assassins, or anything else he could come up with. All the commotion kept everyone on edge, and soon tempers were frayed to the breaking point. The only person not affected was Dina, if only because Nehsa kept her under tighter control

Five days into the reign of terror Link was bored of staring up at the ceiling lest Ferao find something to punish her for. She had no books to read, and even if she used the last four days to practice fae magic (she was now able to glow when she needed light and change her hair and skin color) it was very difficult to spend all day in one place even if it did mean she could wear what she wanted. She got up quickly and got dressed, then grabbed her mask bag; it was time to see if an old friend was in town.

Getting out of the castle was easy, making her way to the Happy Mask Shop was unexpectedly tiring, but she was rewarded with the open sign, and went right in.  
"AH...come in come in..." Said the Happy Mask Man, then he paused at her "Do I know you from somewhere?"  
"Oh I think you'd remember me just a little differently, given I helped you get back a mask of yours." He eyed Link carefully.  
"No...Link?"  
"Yes, it's me"  
"Oh what a fate has fallen on you...sadly I don't believe the song of healing will do you much good in this case," he started to look over Link like she was a particularly interesting mask. "No no, magic too deep, too powerful, Majora didn't do this, nor did any force I know of, but then I'm just a simple mask salesman." Link took that at face value for all of half a second.  
"Right, mask salesman, then perhaps you can help me," she held up the mask bag. "The forms changed...the Zora mask no longer makes me look like Mikau"  
"Really?...so you're saying when you changed the mask changed with you? How interesting, may I see?" Link nodded, pulled out the Zora mask, and put it on. Shortly she was a tall, busty Zora wearing a bikini.  
"Hmmm yes how odd! The Mask should be independent of gender, of course the Deku and Fierce masks would change too...Goron…well no one's ever seen a female so we're not sure they're not all just born from rocks!" He laughed at his own joke as Link put on the Deku mask...and found herself not very changed. She was more of a very shapely tree with leaves for hair and vines covering her modesty and cherry wood for skin.  
"Not very Deku like at all...yes this is odd, but nothing is wrong with the masks I suppose..." Link took off the Deku mask  
"What about the other masks?"  
"Other masks?"  
"Keaton's mask, the couples mask, the bunny hood? What about them?"  
"Their magic was of the mask itself and didn't spread out into its wearer nearly as much...but I daresay if you find any problems with them come back, I'll be happy to trade you for some of the more sedate masks. Mario perhaps?" he grinned as he held up the mustachioed and hat wearing mask.  
"No Thanks..." She said, getting the strangest feeling of Deja Vu from the mask. "I'll see you later."

Link took time out to stroll along the marketplace. She didn't have any money so she couldn't buy anything but that didn't stop her enjoying herself. She found herself looking more at clothes and weapons. There was a special on steel tipped arrows and a buy one get one half price on women's trousers. Both offers made her regret not bringing along her wallet. She seriously looked at throwing daggers considering that throwing weapons was one area she hadn't yet tackled. And there was a silver chain that could be used for a golden spiral pendant that she really liked.

"Excuse me," Said a man. he looked very odd, his vest was blue and had metal armor for shoulders, and underneath was a long sleeved red shirt, and his pants had many pockets at the sides and front giving him at least six pockets a leg. He had two belts, one was holding up his pants, the other was just over his vest and held two short swords and a large leather bound book.

"Excuse me, but you're...an important person aren't you?" He said, pointing towards Link.

"Um, what?" She said elegantly.

"Yes, Yes, you're important, but who exactly are you I have no idea! This is so exciting."

"I'm lady Anell, one of Her Highness's' court." She responded, surprising herself at how easily that came out.

"Well Lady Anell you may simply call me #$% # $" his voice became an unholy screech. "Oh, sorry I forgot no names with me anymore. But anyway, you must allow me to do something for you; I just have this feeling about you."

"First tell me what in the goddesses' name you are?" she whispered to him, pulling them away from the stands and into a more private area.

"Oh that's a good question, but I suppose the most correct answer right now is an eldritch horror taking humanoid form. It's so very...EXCITING!" he yelled, scaring everyone that heard him.

"Oooooookkkk... I'll just go and get the guards..."

"No no, I'm not insane...look, would an insane person have this?" he pulled out rupees, at least a thousand in small gems.

"How did you get that?" she couldn't hide her surprise

"I'm literally pulling money out of the air! Isn't it great? He put a hand behind his back and pulled out some sort of golden bar, but flat with a depression in the middle with weird writing. "Whoops, that's some Latinum..." he put his hand behind his back again and out came a silver rupee "DA DA DA DAAAAAAA!" He made the noise as if he were trying to recreate a sound he'd heard many times. "Listen, let me buy you something, anything...you want clothes? Women like clothes; my wife loves clothes even if she won't admit it. Or jewelry? Anything you name it!"

Link spent the next three hours having everything paid for by who she was calling Mr. Eldritch. He was creepy, obsessed and weird. He kept laughing at the littlest things and pointing out everything and anyone as how important they are.

"You know that baker back there seemed a little more important than the blacksmith."

"Do you always do that?" she finally snapped.

"What?"

"Babble on about how important someone is?"

"Oh. No, this is all just so new to me...I've just become what I am only two days ago."

"And what were you before that?"

"An insignificant person."

"And now you're important."

"Good question. Certainly not in my home, and not among my own kind, but perhaps someday I will be."

"You're weird." He just smiled at that

"Well My lady, it has been fun, but I have a feeling I am needed elsewhere but just for fun..." He pulled out the brick of gold he called Latinum. "Keep this as a memento...and no the gold in it won't register as pure enough to be sold to anything in this universe."

"So a brick of gold just for show. Sure I'll buy that from the weird guy who bought me three gross steel tipped arrows, fifty throwing daggers, a dozen trousers, 3 silver chains with various pendants and the delivery charges with his pocket change."

"You still believe I'm just an insane rich person don't you?"

"You are that."

"Fine. I'll be back in...Three weeks with proof that I'm not of this world, I promise. I'll find you." He turned and left, quickly disappearing into the market crowd. Link let out a long sigh. She hoped to never have to deal with him again. Then she looked at the brick of gold with its strange writing. Time to get it looked at.

"What do you mean you have no idea what this is?" Link asked Quinn.

"Well it clearly has gold in it, and in great amounts, but there's something else inside it, closely mixed with the gold." He said, holding his glowing green hands over the brick.

"So it's not pure gold."

"No that's the odd part, its pure gold, possibly the purest I've ever seen, it's just got something else in it mucking about with it. Where did you get it?"

"From an insane person...he said he wasn't of this world."

"Well I'm convinced he's not insane. No magic made this, no magic could unmake it and I'm not sure what would happen if we gave it to a smelter." He pulled his hands away, "Next time you see him you might owe him an apology."

Link nodded, deep in thought. "Thanks," she said, no longer looking forward to three weeks in the future.


	13. Chapter 13

"You know you should get a boyfriend." Nehsa said, causing Link to choke on a piece of cucco from her salad. It was three days later and they were at an outdoor table eating lunch while watching Dina play with other kids her own age.

"And how does that go with the topic of swords?" She asked, referring to what they were talking about beforehand.  
"Well, when boys are involved..."  
"Never mind, don't want to know." Link decided quickly, pushing away her salad. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't feel like eating anymore. Nehsa just grinned, a catty grin she picked up after her time as a cat person.  
"Oh come on Anell! You're a woman now, at 10 I was starting to feel things towards other people, you've got to be feeling things too."  
"I have no idea what you mean, nor do I wish to know until this entire thing is sorted out."  
"You know...looking at boys, and thinking 'gosh, he's got a nice butt.' Looking at girls and thinking 'her hips are really curvy.' Those sorts of things."  
"One, I never really stopped and thought about it, and two, why would you think that about girls? Why would I think that about girls right now?"  
"You act as though attraction is all about matching up with right parts..." she laughed "Trust me there is more to physical attraction then just if you're a girl and they're a boy. There's more than just finding them attractive too, but save those feelings until you've figured yourself out."  
"You're what, two years older than me and you've figured yourself out?"  
"Not a chance, I'm just mature enough to realize I need those things found out first. So come on, which do you like? Boys, girls, both?"  
"Why are you pushing me about this right now?"  
"Because you just said you never stopped to think about it, which means you never really had time, or you just missed those feelings because of everything else going on."  
"Fine, if I tell you the one time I thought that sort of stuff and realized it can we drop the subject?"  
"Depends on how good it is." Link just glared at her. "Fine, yes we can drop it for now..." Nehsa pouted.  
"It was during the time I had the Master Sword."  
"Ah, so you were seventeen then?"  
"Yes...and I was at Lon Lon Ranch getting Epona and I found Malon there. and she kept saying stuff to me but the only thing I could think throughout the entire conversation was 'I wish she wasn't wearing that dress." Nehsa let out another laugh.  
"Way to go, you had your first feelings as a man, and they were you wanted to see a woman naked, I'm proud of you."  
"Yeah, thanks..." Link just blushed. "Can we get back onto swords now?"  
"Fine, fine. Swords it is." But she just kept grinning the entire time and Link couldn't help but blush, even when she went back to her salad.

Link was going to kill Nehsa. There were no two ways about it. Nehsa was going to die and Link was going to be the reason. Ever since Nehsa's talk with her all she could do when looking at people was think about their attributes. She kept catching herself looking at the maids' bust and thinking how nice and full they were, looking at the guardsmen and thinking about how they must have nice muscles under that armor. She caught herself looking at Ferao and thinking that he had a nice butt and cute eyes.

"I'm going to kill her and when I do she will have to know why..." She said marching her way to Opper's office, hoping that maybe working on magic will make the thoughts go away. She burst in to see him relaxing in a chair, his legs off.

"Can I help you?" He sounded pained and bored, rubbing what was left of his right leg below the knee.

"I need something to take my mind off stuff, so I came for magic practice."

"Ah, well you've caught me at a bad time. I'm in the middle of something."

"I see...what are you doing?"

"Trying to rub out a cramp..." he said, putting more force into his work "I've had it ever since the accident and occasionally it slows me down too much." There was a disgusting popping sound and blood started to seep from the nub of the leg.

"Isn't that bad?"  
"Nope, just means my skin's too tight. Goddesses I wish I could afford a healer for stuff like this."  
"Why not try me?" Link suggested. "I mean, I'm here, got magical power and want to learn."  
"Alright, fine then," he took his hands off his leg "focus energy into your hands and imagine it as a white light." Link did so...it was easy, and soon her hands were glowing with a white light tinged with green. "Good, now put them on what you want to heal..." she put them on his legs, and instantly she could feel all the knots in the muscle. "Focus the energy out, bathing the object." She did and the bleeding stopped and the knots in the muscle started to go away. "Now don't do too much or you'll start a regrowth and that's very advanced, impossible to stop and painful to fix. So what are you trying to take your mind off of?" Link groaned.  
"People I guess. Just looking at everyone and seeing things..."  
"Seeing things?"  
"Can't we leave it at that?"  
"I suppose. That's enough thank you." Link stopped the healing. "But really if you're seeing things you should talk to someone even if those things are just things you're noticing for the first time."  
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm seeing them because I talked to someone."  
"From your tone I take it you're not happy with them. But maybe you should be, sometimes you can go through life never noticing things until something points them out to us. Trust me, I'm twenty eight and I didn't notice half the things I did until someone pointed them out to me."  
"Twenty eight isn't exactly old enough to say stuff like that."  
"You'd think that wouldn't you. Anyway, be happy about the things you're noticing now." He started putting on his legs, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for class."

Link made her way back to her room careful to not look at anyone, and to avoid Ferao, who was on the prowl, ready to strike. She expected her room to be empty, what she found was Mister Eldritch sitting on her couch, talking with Navi  
"You see, in my world, and many like it, you're not very well received."  
"How come? I'm a fairy, helping, kind-"  
"You came with this annoying sound."  
"Annoying? What, did they put me as a bell?"  
"No that was the other fairy, but she's here..." Eldritch turned to Link. He looked horrible, like he'd been crying for days, like he hadn't slept. His hair was greasy and unkempt, and he sported a full week's growth for his beard. "Excuse my appearance. I haven't learned to control it, and it's based on how I feel."  
"Then you must feel like hell," she sat next to him "Something happen?"  
"Yes... let's just say I did something bad," he nodded and turned away. "Something really bad."  
"Are... are you going to jail for your people or something?"  
"Oh no, you see, what I did was morally bankrupt, but it didn't hurt any of my people, so I'm completely off the hook."  
"That's barbaric!"  
"The People I belong to now cross time and space in the blink of an eye, our very existence changes the boundary of worlds, we create and destroy with equal zest but... What I did was new, and was found to be... unimportant."  
"How can something morally bankrupt be unimportant?"  
"It's not to me, which is why I'm here early, to give you a gift before I try something which has a ninety percent chance of killing me."  
"It was that horrible?"  
"Anell... no, I'll use your real name, Link... what I did was so horrible, so completely wrong that only sure way to recover from is the death of the caster. But enough about me... it's time to get on to what I'm giving you."  
"You don't have to give me anything to prove you're otherworldly- you just knew my name, that brick of gold," she paused in thought, "and you got in here."  
"Yes, but I want to and I promised. to give you something...your choices..." he flicked his wrist and the room was filled with shiny armor, weapons, things that Link couldn't begin to describe.  
"Some choices come with extras. For example, the Mjolnir Mark V[B] armor comes with the enhancements you'll need to use it. All the guns come with a generator that lets you make a hundred rounds a day and store up to ten thousand. But most of them come by themselves: Lightsaber, Phaser, personal shield generator... " Link tuned him out as she took a look at all the choices. She took a look at the armor; a giant suit colored green and made of metal and cloth; next to it were a bunch of black metal pieces that, Link assumed, were the guns he had talked about. There was so much stuff, and none of it looked like anything she could possibly hope to understand. So much metal, and then there were the things that weren't metal; they were a weird smooth glossy material that came in many colors. Braces, vests, backpacks, clothes that had both metal and that strange material on it. So many choices.  
"How am I supposed to choose?" she asked.  
"Well, I find people traditionally go with the biggest shiniest thing."  
"Yeah, but I don't even know what any of this stuff does! I mean, really, what does a gun even do?"  
"It kills things... but you have a point." He snapped his fingers and the choices disappeared, and instead replaced with three choices: the armor, a single gun, and a brace.  
"Your choices are now the Mjolnir armor, a nine millimeter pistol, or a solar powered shield generator. The armor also has shields, but the ones on the brace are not only more resilient, take less time to recharge. They can stop swords and the like. It also can generate a temporary shield around someone else. The armor itself will stop most swords, protect you when it's shields are down, increase your strength and doesn't need the sun at all." she picked up the brace, it would fit perfectly on her forearm.  
"I'll take the brace." The other two choices disappeared in a flash of light, to be replaced by a book.  
"Read that, it will tell you how to use it. Now if you ever hear of me again, it will be under the name Lee East."  
"What did you lose a bet?" He simply grinned, then raised his hand, and disappeared into a white rift.


	14. Chapter 14

Link awoke groggy, having spent most of the night reading up on her new brace. She sat up slowly, her body refusing to move faster than a slow crawl. Upon reaching a sitting position, she shook her head to clear it which make her braided hair fly and hit her in the face.  
"Ugh, I am getting this cut..." She said, the hair having woken her a bit more. Navi and Kias were already awake, Navi a bright almost purple blue and Kias being very close to pink but still purple.  
"You know, if you get it cut it will just make the boys fawn all over you more..." Kias said, giggling and turning back to her normal purple.  
"Kias don't torment her. Besides I think it would look wonderful shoulder length." Navi returned to her normal blue, "you stayed up late last night it was nearly four before you set down that book."  
"What's so great about that guy...and where does he get off telling you all about how you're famous in HIS world? What am I chopped liver?"  
"In case you didn't notice I'm famous but not well liked, and I asked. You could have asked him too!"  
"Ladies," Link interrupted, putting her hand to her head. "Can you settle this later?"  
"She started it."  
"Oh please, little miss perfect, Navi the wonderful..."  
"ENOUGH!" Link shouted. "Next one of you to talk without me asking a question gets put in the cage next time they're asleep." Link got up, fully awake now and made her way to the baths with her towel.

After a wonderful half an hour long bath Link was ready to deal with the fairies again. Unfortunately wearing nothing but a towel and her hair Link ran smack into Ferao. He was mostly dressed outside his room, seemingly a hunter in wait for prey.  
"Miss...Anell..." He said, getting in Link's way, looking up and down her body, before setting his gaze somewhere below her eyes. Link felt as though she was being assessed, like a dog in a kennel.  
"Prince Ferao," She curtseyed as best she could with a towel and tried to move on, but Ferao blocked her again.  
"It is proper that you bow to me." Link couldn't understand why he would want a bow instead of a curtsy...then she realized where his eyes were looking at.  
"It is proper that I curtsy milord." She countered, putting all the energy she could into not just hitting him right now. She never even looked at girls this way when she was a guy, and the only reason he was getting away with it was that she couldn't hit him.  
"No, you misunderstand, I know that you females wish to curtsy and make do with staying up straight, but you all really belong bowing...so I order you to bow..." He took the time to look her in the eyes.  
"Milord, you cannot order me..." Link said, wishing she was right.  
"Oh how true..." Ferao then sucker punched Link in the gut, knocking the wind out of her, and forcing her to bend over "but it wasn't worth it was it?" Link fought her instinct to beat him down, but it was hard. she stood back up, her fists clenched and if he did one more thing she would beat him so hard he wouldn't want to remember it.  
"There was that so hard? Remember this, you may be my dear sister's favorite but you obey me or you get knocked down a notch."  
"In your dreams...Milord..." Link added the milord with a bite, and as she said it she regretted it.  
"Oh we'll see about that..." in that moment two things happened, the doors opened on Zelda's room and Dina's room behind Ferao and out came Zelda, Dina, Impa, and Nehsa. The second thing was that Ferao grabbed Link's breasts. Next thing Ferao knew Link had twisted his left arm away so hard it hurt, and his right arm was thrown away with a single backhand.  
"You..." Ferao didn't get a chance to complete his sentence, as Link gave a left hook to his eye  
"You dare!" Ferao finished his sentence, but he had pushed Link too far. who twisted his arm painfully behind him, so Ferao got to see the witnesses. then he was spun around his arm let go as another left hook came right for his face. A right jab came right after and then a kick to the groin, which had him fall to his knees, gasping. He then got a kick to the face, and another, then another, until Ferao fell over, which then had Link step on him, putting her full weight on his chest.  
"You, are a sexist ASSHOLE!" Link yelled at him, "I feel bad for men EVERYWHERE that there are people like YOU in the world making them look like ASSES."  
"YOU..." Ferao tried to get up, but Link kicked him again, then again, 5 more times after that until Ferao was black and blue and bloody.  
"You don't get to talk! You get to lay there and take this!" She started kicking him again...until she realized that he was unconscious. Link calmly got off of Ferao, and looked at Zelda. Who was pointing down. Link looked down and realized she'd lost her towel. She blushed, and ran to her room.

"Have a fun...where'd your towel go?" Kias asked as Link locked the door behind her.  
"Ferao happened...Goddesses if I ever acted like that I'd deserve a beating too..." She went to her wardrobe and quickly pulled out a pair of panties and put them on so roughly they ripped to shreds. Cursing, she pulled out another pair and more carefully put them on.  
"Stupid flimsy underwear...stupid Ferao...stupid body..."  
"Um, are you ok?" Navi asked hesitantly.  
"No, I'm not OK!" Link yelled, ripping the bra she was holding in two, then grabbing the pieces and ripping the straps from the cups "I HATE this, I'm supposed to be all nice and pretty high society girl when really I'm just a low class warrior, and might I add I was born a MAN! I'm not cut out for this; I'm not cut out for having these pretty dresses to be with the princess." She pulled out a pastel pink dress. "Hi I'm Pretty Dress and I'm made for pretty girls. Hi Pretty Dress I'm a freak who is currently a pretty girl. I'm pretty enough to be groped by assholes so that's pretty enough to wear you right?"  
"Link?"  
"Of course Freak Who Is Currently A Pretty Girl, that'll do! That's great just let me make some adjustments..." Link started tearing the dress apart.  
"Link..."  
"OH! OW! What are you doing Freak? I've gotta make you fit my character!"  
"LINK!" Navi flew down and smacked Link right in the face "Get a hold of yourself!"  
Link stopped ripping the dress, it was mostly in tatters anyway, letting it fall to the floor next to the torn panties and bra...then she fell on her knees and started crying  
"What in the nine hells? I'm not ready for this, no one should be ready for this sort of stuff...I'm crying why in the hells am I crying...Goddesses damn it..." It had finally really hit Link that she was a girl.

Navi had no idea what to do, more slaps only made Link cry more and after waiting for three hours she was really worried. So she did something she had never done before, made herself as big as a Hylian. It was really awkward being that big for her, particularly sense she had to make an illusion of clothes for the first time and dim her light. She went in search of Zelda to see if she could help. The castle halls looked so different from the ground, but soon she found herself in the entry hall. Zelda was coming out of the courtroom and she followed her until it was just Zelda and Impa.  
"Hello" She said, her voice having become a soft whisper. They turned and Impa sized her up.  
"Hello, are you lost?" Said Zelda, and Navi giggled.  
"No, you see, I am Navi." She turned back into her tiny self. "You have no idea how hard it is to open doors when you're this small!" Zelda turned cold.  
"If this is about Link you can forget it! He got us a fine mess to deal with, and that doesn't include how he beat up Ferao this morning!"  
"Yes...well actually Link sort of...snapped."  
"Snapped?" Zelda was curious, but not so curious as to stop being cold.  
"He started ripping clothes and then when I slapped him he just fell to the floor and started crying."  
"Link...Crying? Pfft, yeah right."  
"It's true!"  
"Fine, if he's that upset fine..." She huffed off to Link's room.  
"I hope she gets the bunch out of her panties soon..." Impa sighed

Zelda didn't even bother knocking, or waiting for Navi, or anything, she just barged right into Link's room.  
"Ok, what's so bad that you..." She looked down at the crying, sniffling naked girl that was her friend. "Link? Are you ok?"  
"How do you even know I am Link? Maybe I'm just a girl who thinks she was Link. Maybe Link never even existed, and it was all just a fever dream...Or maybe I was girl all along and this thing just messed with memories..."  
"Link..."  
"After all, those all make more sense don't they? Boys don't just become girls. I should be able to handle this then, because it's not really happening, it's just what I think is going on. It's all in my mind isn't it? This is the rest of my life, and I guess it must have been my life beforehand too." Zelda got down next to Link, and hugged her. Link tried to push her away but it was feeble.  
"Link, you're you, it doesn't matter what you are, but you have to push through this."  
"The Hero Link wouldn't break down and cry like this..."  
"No, but the person Link has been holding a lot in."  
"I hate this..."  
"I know."


	15. Chapter 15

One good side effect of having a complete mental breakdown was that Zelda was no longer angry at Link. The other was that Link was going to get a makeover, her way. Zelda went along too, Impa right behind her. Dina and Nehsa were invited; Dina had to make the choice between homework now or homework later and naturally choose homework later. So off the five went into Castle Town, first to the barber.

"Milady you want your hair removed? All of it?" The barber, a skinny aged man with a full mane of white hair himself, asked.  
"Of course not all of it, just most of it."  
"But..."  
"Start cutting and I'll tell you when to stop." Soon Link's hair was short, shorter than it was even when she was a boy. "Stop"  
"Good, I was running out of hair to cut and was going to have to get the razor out..." Link looked over her new hairstyle in a mirror and nodded. it was very short, too short to get in the way or even be styled, but the barber had cut it in such a way it already had a style to it.  
"I love it." Link said, and handed the man double his asking price. "Enjoy the tip."  
"Thank you Milady." He bowed to the princesses , and then busied himself with the till.

Next it was off to the most respected tailors in town, so respected that if they didn't have two princesses with them it would have taken them months to get in. Even now the barely got an hour.

"I want trousers and shirts." Link said simply.  
"Milady you want...what?" the man, dressed himself in a very nice suit which shimmered between black and silver.  
"Trousers and shirts, and see if we can get them out of the same material your suits' made of I like that color change."  
"Milady, trousers won't fit you, as ladies and gentlemen have different shapes..."  
"Then take my measurements and get started on them." The man dutifully took the measurements for trousers and got started showing shirts in Link's size. She purchased at least twenty shirts and eight trousers, all of which were higher class than Link's small supply of men's style clothing, and she left wearing a forest green shirt and blue trousers, with one of two black silver shimmering complementary jackets that came with an order of fifteen or more.

Link didn't want to get jewelry too much but Zelda had seen the new brace she had and, after a demonstration of what it could do, said that a matching bracelet would look good and draw attention away from it. Link agreed on the condition that Zelda pay for it. The original brace was chrome colored with four red lights nearest the hand, which indicated how many people it was covering with additional shields. In the middle was a square box, that by magic and trickery Link had no idea how it worked, displayed options, and words that could be selected by the ten numbered buttons below it. For the bracelet they decided on silver, with rubies nearest the hand, and ten different colored stones behind those. Mostly citrines and amethysts of different colors, but the center two were a lightly colored emerald and a purple sapphire. It would be delivered in a week.

Weapons was the next stop, if for nothing else then just plain fun. Link liked weapons, she used them, cared for them, and when it came down to it she would rather have more swords then clothes. The fact that there was no way anyone could carry that many was the only thing stopping her. The blacksmith's shop was filled with all sorts of weapons and armor, and many apprentices running around working and crafting and making things fit for the people who ordered them. It was there they met Rika and Quinn

"Your highnesses!" Quinn said, holding a battle axe, half as a walking staff, half as a ready weapon.  
"Oh, how nice of us to see you all here." Rika said, holding a Rel'qi, one point in the ground.  
"We were just discussing our respective weapons and their styles, but perhaps you could tell us a bit of yours?"  
"Certainly," Zelda said, "I prefer the rapier, with its thin, precise strikes."  
"I'm learning how to use axes!" Dina said, jumping up and down.  
"Swords…just swords." Said Link, getting a reaction from Rika.  
"Do you know many sword styles?" She asked.  
"Self-taught with a broadsword, short sword, long sword."  
"A rapier is a type of sword too," Zelda said, explaining to Link.  
"Oh, then I need to learn to use it. Where's one?" Link went looking around the store, as Zelda picked up a training rapier and called Link back.  
"This is a rapier."  
"It looks small…" Link took it from Zelda, and gave it some experimental swings. "What's the point? You can't even get any good slashes in with it."  
"The point, is stabbing," Zelda took it back from Link, and gave several thrusts. "You see, this will get though chainmail, it's strong enough to pierce most kinds of solid armor too. Combine it with an offhand dagger and you can block, deflect and pierce the guard of any who attack you."  
"Which is why I'm staying way back with the battle axe." Said Quinn, "Anyway, what are you here for?"  
"Looking mostly," Link said, looking around. "Nothing really stands out to me though. I mean sure, I could get a dagger to keep on my person all the time, but I have throwing knifes that I could use for that. I have a pretty good sword, and my shield doesn't need replacing." Link looked around some more while Quinn entertained Dina's ideas on axe work. She saw nothing useful that she didn't already have, nothing she wanted, and nothing more to do here. She sighed, she should have known that there wouldn't have been anything more here for her.  
"Excuse me…" said a man wearing a blacksmith's apron, he had long black hair that looked greasy, dull brown eyes and a long puckering scar that ran from one cheek to the other across his nose. "You look like you're looking for something special."  
"Hm?" Link asked, looking over the tiny man, he was barely taller than her and thin, as he had no muscle on him.  
"I'm not sure, but I'm almost certain I can help you find something." He said, leading her to the back room, and to the most beautiful long sword Link had seen yet. Blood red handle and hilt with a silver and gold blade, mixed perfectly without merging, and a black and red scabbard, similarly mixed. In a box made of cherry wood and black metal. "Don't touch until you buy."  
"It looks nice…how much?"  
"Five hundred."  
She looked in her wallet, she had four hundred left. "I don't know, I think all I'm gonna do is put it on the wall."  
"It will look really nice on that wall…"  
"The wall's blue though, and at five hundred I can't get anything else to match it."  
"Fine, you're a nice lady, I can let it go for…four fifty."  
"But that gives me only fifty to get stuff to match it."  
"How much you really got?" He asked with a knowing glance  
"Four hundred."  
"Tell you what I'm gonna do for you, I'm gonna let you walk out of here with this sword for four hundred, in exchange you're gonna do a little work for me modeling some armor for me. Once a week, noon to six for six months." Link considered this, on one hand it was a very nice looking sword, on the other she'd have to do modeling. Then she realized it was modeling for armor and how revealing could that get.  
"Deal." They shook on it, and the man boxed up the sword for Link, she put it in her pack, and before she realized it, the five ladies were back on the street, leaving the blacksmith behind them.

Zelda, Link and Dina were in Link's room, looking over Link's purchases. Mostly they were looking over the sword.  
"Pretty…" Dina said, reaching forward to touch the blade.  
"Don't touch," Zelda stopped her. "It's sharp and will cut you."  
"Which is why you only touch the handle…" Link took the sword out and hefted it, "nice balance."  
"It's got writing on the other side." Zelda inspected the blade, "Beastblood, must be its name. Sounds familiar though."  
"Can I hold it?" Dina asked, and Link let her touch the handle. "Swords and axes are a lot different aren't they?"  
"Yep, and watch your hand, it's OW" Dina pulled the blade towards her, cutting Link's hand and her arm as the sword flew out of both their grips.  
"Sorry…" Dina said, hugging her arm.  
"Don't pull with swords, they cut like that!" Link yelled, and then looked at her hand. The cut wasn't bad but it hurt.  
"Well, I hope you both learned your lessons about playing with sharp things today." Zelda took the sword and put it back in its box.  
"Yes Zelda…" Dina said as though she'd heard this before.  
"Yeah, don't let the eight year old use them." Link said, and Dina looked at her with a look of severe loathing.  
"Anyway, Dina: homework now." Zelda ordered, and Dina sulked off to work on arithmetic.  
"And what are you going to do for the rest of the day?" Link asked.  
"I'm going to see if I can find Beastblood in the archives, it really sounds like I read about it before." Zelda left too, leaving Link to her own devices.  
"Hm…I think I'm going to take another bath…"

Link was really getting used to baths. Hot water was definitely for more than just tea, and was a lot nicer to be in than chilly Lake Hylia. She hadn't been too sure about soap, after all everyone needed a healthy layer of dirt on them, but it gave her skin and hair such a nice clean feeling she found herself using it every time she came for a bath.  
"Hey Anell!" Link heard Dina call out, and opened her eyes to see Dina entering the baths.  
"Don't you have homework?" Link asked, as Nehsa fell in behind Dina, carrying her towel.  
"That was ages ago! How long have you been in here?" Link stared at her hands, they were wrinkled up. Dina came over to look. "Yeah, you've been in here a while, so while you're here would you do me a favor?"  
"What?"  
"Scrub my back? I'll get yours for you!" Link shrugged.  
"Alright." Dina got in while Link prepared the washcloth. "So...learn much arithmetic?"  
"Not really, it's really just practicing what I already know...I wish they would give me a challenge."  
"Come on, it must be easy then for you."  
"Well yeah, but there's only so many times I can solve for X when X equals Y plus nine divided by four, and it lets me pick what Y is!" Link had no idea what she was talking about, but knew Zelda would know. Link picked up on the one thing she understood.  
"You'd prefer they just give you what Y is?"  
"Well yeah, that would make it harder, or at the very least give me something new to do." Dina sighed, and Link just let her continue long into the bath...


	16. Chapter 16

Link got out of the baths and headed back to her room, this time without running into Ferao. She got in and dressed just in time for the dinner bell to sound. Wearing her new trousers and a forest green shirt she realized that she needed to get different shoes too late and ended up wearing black half inch pumps. She exited and met Zelda in the hall.

"You look good and relaxed," Zelda said, herself wearing a purple dress with gold threading on the hems and a white sash under her bust. Impa was right behind her as always.  
"I could really, REALLY get used to hot baths," Link said simply, as Dina came up in a red dress with silver ribbons in her hair. Nehsa stood quietly nearby to keep a close eye.  
"So Anell, did you like shopping?" Dina asked.  
"It was kinda fun, especially at the tailor's, I think I gave them a fit." With a thump Ferao exited his room, he was wearing his junior officer's uniform, but the most telling part of him was his face. His face was purple and blue, bruised up and down the right side, his nose was in a cast and both his eyes were black with his right one bloodshot as well. Link just grinned as he also winced, holding his left side.  
"Ferao have you learned your lesson?" Dina said, Zelda instantly clapped a hand over her younger sister's mouth, but the damage was done. Ferao strode over, rage showing even better in his blackened eyes.  
"The lesson, dear sister, is that there was one female in this entire world who knew her place and you killed her." Ferao strode off through the group, leaving Runaz to deal with the situation.  
"He...he doesn't mean that I'm sure," he said, looking fearfully at the two elder Shekiah, "Just stress and the fact he was injured..."  
"Runaz we will speak about your duties and tempering the young prince's anger later." Impa said coldly, as Zelda hugged Dina, who was starting to cry. "In the meantime, your charge is getting ahead of you." Runaz quickly moved through the group to catch up.  
"Why does he have to be so mean?" Dina asked.  
"He's just a big meanie who doesn't get how much it affected us too." Zelda comforted. "But next time, don't provoke him, alright?" Dina nodded, drying her eyes with a handkerchief Nehsa provided. "Now, let's get to dinner..."

Dinner had the unexpected event of the Queen joining them. She was there before the group got there, and was trying to have a conversation with Ferao.  
"So you got those in a training accident? Don't you use a Rel'qi?"  
"Yes, I have for years."  
"Rel'qi are not forgiving, what were you doing without a helmet?"  
"Practicing."  
"Ferao, either you were an idiot, in which case I should make orders to double check that you're using a helmet, or you're lying, in which case your sister will tell me the truth. Which would you prefer?"  
"I was an idiot."  
"Ah, I see. Zelda he said that too quickly, what happened?" Zelda took one look at Ferao, and then turned to the Queen.  
"It was Anell. They had a bit of an argument in the hallway outside his room which resulted in Ferao grabbing a place that Anell didn't appreciate. Anell decided to show him her skills in self-defense."  
"There, now Ferao, if you had simply said you got in a fight I wouldn't have gotten so many details. Now I know everything and think perhaps you need to spend some time learning to respect those around you."  
"If you punish me, you must punish Anell, she hit me!" Ferao yelled.  
"You want me to punish a girl who was simply defending herself? We do not do that Ferao, the aggressor has no protection, but the defending has all. I believe you were supposed to learn about such things last year. Now then, Zelda I would like you to decide his punishment, it should be humbling but useful."  
"Very well, perhaps kitchen work will suit him." Ferao glared as Zelda said this, but said nothing. Dinner conversation then took a turn for the normal, or as normal as it could be, until dessert.  
"Oh, Zelda, I almost forgot, I got a letter from Duke Tomail." The Queen said as Zelda sighed.  
"Let me guess, asking about me and his son Luke getting together again?"  
"Something like that, now it wonders quite subtly if you like younger men, and reminds you of his son Kevin."  
"By the goddesses, he's six! If I liked younger men it would still be Luke as he's only twelve."  
"Still we need to be thinking of the future of the family and Tomail does seem to be one of the stabilizing elements of the western lands."  
"I thought you said you were leaving the choice up to me anyway."  
"Do you have another suitor in mind?"  
"Well..."  
"It's her little friend, the one from the forest," Ferao interrupted. "What's his name, Lin, Lank, something with an L."  
"Oh that would be so romantic." Dina said. "Rough and tough Forest Boy comes and sweeps Zelda off her feet!" Link noticed that Zelda was blushing.  
"Link is a good friend, a loyal person, and a great warrior. He's not concerned with titles or rank, and is already known to the Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo despite his young age."  
"And he's disappeared, no one's heard from him in a year," Ferao smirked. "Good thing too, I could never stand him."  
"Oh? Why not?" Link asked. Ferao huffed.  
"A Commoner like him being inside the castle, as a guest? It makes me question what this world is coming to. Well with all our luck he's dead or worse."  
"Ferao that's enough," Zelda snapped. "Link is fine, I'm sure of it."  
"Fine, but even if he is, you can't let a commoner occupy your thoughts while perfectly good, noble stock are ready."  
"You say that as if I'm ready too."  
"It was my understanding that girls were ready before boys."  
"Alright, that's enough you two." The Queen put her goblet down with some force and it made a small thump which was clearly not the sound she was expecting. "But...anyway, Ferao, this is Zelda's decision...Zelda, Ferao is right, you can't keep pining after Link when we don't even know if he's alive."  
"I know he's alive, if I could explain I would but..."  
"You say that as if you could, you just don't want to." Zelda looked down and played with her food before finally responding.  
"I wouldn't tell Ferao or Dina, but yes I could explain..." Link fought hard not to react, Zelda was going to tell another person, and for her mind way too many people already knew.  
"Milady?" Link barely managed to keep her reaction to that.  
"I will speak to you later Anell." Zelda didn't even look at her, but kept staring straight at the Queen. Link wanted to kick Zelda but wasn't sure if she could get away with it.  
"I take it your court knows of Link?" The Queen looked between them.  
"Yes, at least Anell does, in fact I've told her everything I know about him, which is why she is unsure of why I would tell more people about what's happened to him."  
"Is it gruesome?" Ferao asked hopefully.  
"It's unusual to say the least, perhaps even cruel, but I wouldn't call it gruesome." Zelda played with her food a bit more.  
"Did he turn into a wolf? I've noticed a large dog getting closer to the castle during the night," Dina said as she took a bite.  
"No."  
"Did he get used by the Gerudo?" asked Ferao.  
"No."  
"Did he..."  
"That's enough," the Queen tried to bellow, but instead it came out wrong, loud but wrong. "Zelda is not going to tell you, she will tell me, and I will decide if either of you will be allowed to know. Until then eat your dinner." Dina leaned over to Link.  
"Did he have to marry Ruto of the Zora?" She whispered and Link sighed  
"Yes, that's exactly what happened..." she said sarcastically.  
"Ok...good thing for Zelda the Zora are polygamous."  
"...What?"  
"Oh I'm sure you don't have to worry about it Anell, I'm sure Zelda and Ruto will be able to work it out by themselves."  
"Um, I think you missed the point, I said that in such a way that it meant that wasn't what I meant."  
"OH...so THAT'S sarcasm! No one would tell me how to do it...Good thing too I have a feeling Ruto isn't the kind to share." Link sighed and went back to eating.

Still trying to wrap her head around what Dina was saying earlier, Link just followed Zelda after dinner.  
"You seem preoccupied," Zelda said, after Link had run into her for the fourth time.  
"The dinner conversation is on my mind...and it reminded me, I need to figure out if Ruto still has that thing for me in this timeline."  
"Oh yes, the Zora's Sapphire thing, well you can just reveal yourself to Ruto now, the Zora are polygamous, and if she refuses you now she'll be seen as something of a prude."  
"The Zora are weird...but I have more trouble understanding Gorons, Gerudo are easy compared to either of them."  
"That I agree with. Anyway, you ready to do this?" Link looked at the door they were in front of; it was the Queen's chambers. Link sighed  
"Let's do this now, before she starts thinking of things." Zelda opened the doors and they walked into the brightly lit room, the moon filled the window and the entire room was decked in purple and gold except the bed, which was blue with red pillows. The Queen was looking through the wardrobe.  
"Too flashy...Too casual...too much cleavage...oh!" She noticed them and closed the wardrobe immediately "Zelda, Anell, come in...sit, I ordered some tea we can talk while it gets here." there was a couch right in front of the fireplace, and two chairs to either side, and the Queen took a chair...and Zelda took a chair, leaving Link the couch.  
"So Zelda, what did happen to Link?"  
"I'd prefer to talk about that after the tea gets here, so we could not get interrupted."  
"Fair enough...How is Dina doing?"  
"Better all the time, she really has a head for arithmetic, much more than I ever did, but she is still having trouble making friends, something about them 'not being right'. Her grammar studies are slightly ahead of her peers, but while she has a great memory for history she constantly bickers with her tutors over seemingly minor things. Her grasp of theology however is tenuous at best, like she needs constant reminders the goddesses exist.  
"And Ferao?"  
"Honestly? I really wish he still had gynophobia. He is of course on track on arithmetic, grammar, history, and theology, but it is impossible to get him to be nice, especially with women. It's like mom was the only one who could ever get close to him when he was afraid and without her he's just angry at everyone...But you know that."  
"I'm sure Anell appreciates the history. Tea's here." a servant came in with the tea tray, three cups and a large pot of black tea, sugar and cream provided, the Queen took to serving cups, Link took hers with two sugars and cream.  
"So, now that tea's here, Zelda where is Link?" Link and Zelda looked at each other, and then Link spoke.  
"Your Highness...I'm Link."


	17. Chapter 17

The Queen sipped some tea, and then asked, "So you were also the Sheikiah who rescued me along with Nehsa?"  
"Um yes, how did you figure that out?" Link asked.  
"Well, if a male soul impregnated me, and you have a male soul, and if it happened first thing, as my morning sickness at the time suggests, means there was a male soul around, which means a male who looked female was around me, which means you are the father" she smiled, almost grinning at her.  
"Well that's one way to look at it I guess..."  
"Do you have to be so pleased about that?" Zelda covered her face, "For Goddesses' sake! You were a fifty-eight year old man not even last week! Stop losing your mind!" she yelled  
"Yeah, don't you find it at least weird that you've had such a dramatic change and you haven't had a second thought?" Link asked, patting her chest.  
"Well you seem to be doing well." the Queen countered. Link and Zelda looked at each other.  
"You wanna say anything about that?" Zelda asked.  
"Maybe later, but suffice to say, it hasn't been easy." Link grimaced.  
"Well maybe I'm simply more adaptable than you." She retorted, frowning.  
"Or maybe you've been brainwashed. Made to think this is all ok." Zelda almost pleaded with what had been her father, added a bit of pout to her lip.  
"You could say that about Link couldn't you?"  
"Hey, I'm not ok with any of this; I wanna get back to being a guy, preferably before that thing Navi told me about happens." Zelda looked at Link, like she wanted to ask a question but decided to wait.  
"Look, we don't even know what or how to call you, by the Nine Hells we really can't even call you Daphnes anymore."  
"I've picked out a new name for myself, instead of Daphnes Hyrule I will be Emily Hyrule. I think it rather fits me." The Queen said. Zelda sighed into her hand again  
"I see there is no getting through to you..." Zelda finished her tea quickly, too quickly as she clearly seared her mouth, and stood. "Come Link, let's get to bed, and I have some questions for you too." Link got up and followed her out, the moment they were out of earshot of the guards Zelda turned and asked "So...what 'thing' did Navi tell you about that happens?"  
"Oh... um..." Link glanced around Zelda nervously, "Well...you know, that...THING...with the...um...blood." Zelda looked relieved.  
"Oh! You mean a period; I was worried she said something else that wasn't true or something that only happened to fairies. Yeah, about that you've been a girl now for what, four weeks?"  
"Twenty-six days, I've counted and gone over exactly how long I was out with Navi." Zelda then grinned and it made Link feel very scared  
"Link, in two days you and I are going to go have to go through something very special together. I know how I am, but what about you? Oh this is going to be fun for me at least." Zelda wondered off.  
"Wait... how will this be fun? What's going on?" Link ran after her.

"And that is what science teaches us is going on in a female's body during a period." Zelda was explaining things to Link to try and give her an advantage on the process.  
"Really? Why don't guys get this then? And why not when they're pregnant?"  
"The demons are repulsed by men, and while they're pregnant women have a part of a man inside them.  
"And these demons come exactly twenty-eight days after the last time?"  
"Yes."  
"You really don't believe this do you?"  
"No I really don't."  
"I knew it, so how do you think it happens?"  
"Honestly? No clue but it's definitely not demons. If demons really liked that part of a girl that much they'd never leave." They reached their bedrooms, and Zelda turned to Link. "Was it that bad talking with her, Emily I guess we're calling her?"  
"I suppose not, but about the...um...the baby thing, do you think she's gonna do anything about that?"  
"Knowing your luck probably have you marry her, but I hope not..." Zelda blushed and looked away. "Anyway, good night"  
"Night..." Zelda entered her room quickly, too quickly, catching the hem of her dress in the door, she opened it again and tugged the hem away. Link meanwhile turned towards her room and entered slowly, the only light being the blue light of Navi.  
"Hi, you're late. What's up?" Link threw herself on the bed  
"Not much, the Queen named herself Emily and turns out Zelda likes me" Link stared up at the ceiling, Kias flitted into view.  
"So the Princess likes you, too bad about you both being female right now or else you two could do something about that..."  
"Kias..." Navi sounded tired  
"Yes yes be nice, but really, is she even into girls?"  
"Kias." Navi's color was turning yellow  
"Hey, we know about Link here, but what about her?"  
"Kias!" Navi was now bright red  
"Right, fine, backing off..." Kias flitted off muttering all the while, leaving Link to think about things.

Link awoke at dawn, as the cucco crowed, still in her clothes from yesterday. She yawned and stretched on her bed, the last remnants of a dream leaving her mind too slowly for her tastes, so she got up, got undressed and made her way over to her wardrobe. She picked out a white blouse, slacks and nude hose with black pumps. Then she realized that she needed a white bra to go with that white blouse, and decided to match her panties to her bra, which meant undressing completely. Half way though she realized that matching ones bra and panties was probably going overboard, but she had already committed to it. She quickly dressed and, being alone with no one else up, she took the time to read. Reading had never been hard for her but she'd never been fast, so in the entire time it took for it to get through a chapter of Basic Magical Theory it was her normal wake up time. She sighed, putting the book down on the desk, and rose to help Zelda. Entering the hallway, she found that Zelda was in her robe and coming back from the baths.  
"Oh, hi. I didn't think you were up already so I just went by myself." Zelda took her time coming to her door. Her hair was plastered to her neck and made it look like she was wearing a yellow hood.  
"I was reading." Zelda opened her door "Do you want any help?"  
"Uh, no, that's alright, thanks!" She slammed the door quickly, leaving Link in the corridor.  
"That was odd..." Link said to the corridor, only to have Kias zoom out of the air and into Link's face.  
"I know what that was..." she said in a sing song voice. Link jumped back  
"Where did you come from?"  
"Please, I'm only able to get 500 feet away from you at most, I've been phasing through the walls and dimming my glow to be able to stay close enough to you...but I've been bursting to say things and now I'm going to say them. Because I know what happened there!" Link crossed her arms.  
"Then explain it."  
"Well, it's quite simple really, you now know Zelda likes you right?"  
"Yeah? So?"  
"That means she's conflicted, and not really sure about how to really treat you now."  
"But...one of my jobs is helping her if she needs help, and she's already...well I've already seen most of her naked."  
"But that was then, when you didn't know her feelings for you and when she could deny that to herself. But now...well things are going to be awkward."  
"Awkward? But she...I...We're just friends..."  
"But she wants to be more than that! Don't you see? And the fact that right now you're both girls is... well its making her question herself. Either she's still physically attracted to you and doesn't want to be because that means she would like you to stay girl, or she just wants to be with you badly enough that it doesn't matter to her. Or, could be both."  
"So... you're saying that either she likes my body, and doesn't want to... or she likes me enough that my body doesn't matter, or both at the same time? And this is causing her problems? I will NEVER understand girls." Kias giggled.  
"It's not just girls' hon, its love in general. Believe me, Love is a very complicated thing that no one really understands..." Link then had a thought, and blurted it out before she could stop herself.  
"So that's why you like Navi?" Instantly she regretted it, and the pregnant pause that it created hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. Finally Kias answered as her color turned pure pink.  
"Very observant little Link... Yes, I do like Navi that way. One time she returned that favor but... that was long ago." She flickered a deep blue, and then flew back up to the ceiling, disappearing when she stopped her glow.

Link went back into her room, to find Navi there, floating over the book Link was reading earlier.  
"Hi, you weren't gone long." Navi floated her way to Link as she closed the door  
"Why didn't you tell me about you and Kias?"  
"What about me and Kias? Oh! She told you about that little fling we had? It's nothing, just a silly little childhood romance. Sure we kissed, and when we started to develop we explored with each other...but it was just a silly little thing, nothing serious."  
"Nothing serious? If this turns out to be the entire reason...the fact that you see it as nothing and she sees it as more..." Link was beside herself, this entire incident seems to have been made over a breakup between the two fairies.  
"Why would she? I mean, it's not uncommon for fairies to have these kinds of relationships as they grow up, but we outgrow them as we prepare for real relationships with possible mates."  
"I don't think she sees it that way! This ENTIRE thing has all been about a bad breakup? I can't believe this, I'm being...what's the phrase...cock blocked by my own fairy over the fact that she and her lover can't get along!"  
"She's not my lover, we separated years ago...besides, she should have been pursuing male fairies, as was I. And how exactly do you know the phrase 'cock block'? I don't think you're using it as correctly."  
"Kakariko village, seventeen, the archery range, I found out about it from a guy whose girlfriend I won over with an impressive display, you were there! But that's not the point, the point is you and Kias have something to talk about, and that is your relationship!"  
"We DON'T HAVE a relationship. Get it through your skull we separated, we're both looking for other fairies, and quite frankly I find girls far more trouble than boys, I always have to take control, and it's not fun if...Why am I even talking about this with you? You're not only gender flipped but just past the start of puberty."  
"Look, I don't care if you see it as a non-issue, but Kias does!"  
"Yes yes yes, let's make it about Kias AGAIN that girl has no sense of letting others have a good time, certainly not me. Especially when I'm in the middle of showing my date to my parents!"  
"So you do have issues you need to resolve with her."  
"WE'RE NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP, I have issues with her, sure, but every time I try and move forward with my life she pops up and derails it."  
"Oh is that what this is? A derailment of your life?" Navi had gotten Link mad with that last comment.  
"Um...that's not how I meant it..." Navi tried to backtrack but it Link was mad enough she had actually made her hands burst into green fire, and her hair started smoking like it was threatening to do the same at any moment.  
"A DERAILMENT OF YOUR LIFE?" Link yelled "WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME? A LOOSE NAIL?"  
"Link...calm down..."  
"CALM? CALM? I'VE BEEN CALM! I'VE HAD MY GENDER CHANGED, I'VE PRACTICALLY IMPREGNATED THE QUEEN, I'VE JUST FOUND OUT I HAVE THE EYE OF THE PRINCESS, AND ALL MY PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW ARE CAUSED BY YOU AND YOUR LOVER! DON'T YOU DARE CORRECT ME!" Her hair did then burst into green flame, raising over her head and giving an effect that rather reminded Navi of Twinrova. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! GET YOUR AFFAIRS WITH KIAS IN ORDER NOW OR I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" She tried to open the door, but it just burst into green flame when she touched it, the ashes turning shortly into lilies on the floor. Link stormed out, igniting several more doors, leaving Zelda and Dina to hide in their washroom to while they dressed.

No one dared stop the girl with flaming green hair, hands, and by now feet. They would have been intimidated enough that she was daring to wear men's clothing, but with the fire she stormed through the castle to the main hall, where she made every guard run for his life and several maids run too, except for one who just picked up a broom and started batting out the small fires her feet tracked through the hall. She left a clear trail of first fire, then lilies as she made her way out of the castle. She headed into town, with the portcullis providing only temporary relief for the scared guards on the outside, as she put out her hands, and the metal twisted and warped like it was clay in her hands. the guards ran away as fast as they could, warning all on the road about the woman with flaming hair, hands, feet, and now legs too. Every step she took enhanced the fire more and more, as she stewed. By the time she reached the town there was a full on stampede to get away from the scary lady and she was encased completely in green fire, which was starting to gain streaks of other colors in it too, pinks and purples mostly, but occasionally a rosy red or a bright blue would occur. Until finally one person dared to stand in front of her.  
"Hello Lady Anell..." said Quinn Opper. He was dressed in a simple grey tunic with brown shorts that clearly showed his artificial legs, he had both a mage's staff with him and a walking stick. "Today's my day off but I guess I'll make an exception in this case." Link strode right up to him, only stopping when she was so close a lily petal landed in his hair  
"What do you want?"  
"Only to ask you to slow down enough for me to keep up, I do have so much difficulty keeping up with angry people." He then turned to the side, and let her continue, which she did at a slightly slower pace. "So what has you frustrated today?"  
"Fairies!"  
"AH...Fairies...I take it this has to do with the three you have living with you in the castle?"  
"Two, and yes!"  
"Oh only two, I'll have to remember that. What about them?"  
"Turns out they were lovers!"  
"And this infuriates you how?"  
"Their spat caused my condition!"  
"Oh...I can see how that infuriates..." They had reached the fountain in the middle of the market. People were scared, crouched behind their stalls "Do me a favor and stand next to the fountain."  
"Why would I ever do that right now?" she stop and turned to him, he got out his wizard's staff and with a single swipe, used magic to force her into the fountain, which quenched the flames, and left her soaking wet. She was about to retaliate, when she realized all the energy had gone from her. Then she realized she was naked and covered herself with her arms as best she could.  
"Because this fountain was blessed to dispel any magical effects in it temporarily, and since you used up all your energy making that flame aura, you wouldn't be able to do it again. Now then since you're new to auras and have destroyed your clothes, wait here while I get you a cheap dress..." Link, no longer the queen of fire, was now just a tired, weak, wet, and naked girl. She shivered at the coldness of the water while she waited for Quinn to come back.

Quinn came back quickly, with a dress that looked older than Link. But she got up and put it on, now all she had to deal with was the jiggling of her breasts and the wind zipping up the skirt right where her panties should be.  
"Now then, let's get you someplace you can cool down...my place isn't too far." He led her down a well maintained road just off the market center, then down a less well maintained road, then down a road that was barely maintained, until they reached the large, shoddy apartment block that Quinn called home, first floor the first apartment on the right to be exact. as they got into the tiny one bedroom apartment it became clear that this was just as big as Link's room at the castle, but he had to do all his cooking, cleaning, and bathing here too. The entire place looked in need of care, warping wood, cracks in the plaster that leaked air, the most comfortable looking part was the tiny bed, which had many a quilt on it, and was right against the outside wall. A tiny desk in the corner was covered in books, the newest on magical theory and a small cauldron in the fireplace seemed to be cooking something over the coals. There were two chairs, one wooden and looking likely to break at any moment and one with giant holes in the upholstery.  
"Aren't there...housing blocks for castle employees? I've seen them haven't I?"  
"Yes, but in case you can't tell, those are fairly far from the castle, can't walk that far, and on my salary..." he shrugged "neighborhood's not so bad though, this close to the main road and market the watchmen grab most crime before it happens." He sat in the wooden chair, leaving Link with the ratty upholstered chair, which she sat in after much consideration. "So, your fairy friends have let you down on this case huh?" Link sighed.  
"I just...this entire thing is because one of them thinks it's over, and the other doesn't."  
"Ah...I had a girlfriend like that once. She went an entire month thinking we were still together when I broke it off. Then again I was warned from the start she was a possessive psycho..." he looked pensively at the coals. "Anyway, no problem that can't be solved by the application of fireballs."  
"Not this problem..."  
"True, I was never much of a lovey dovey type, always much more simple to go in, axe first bashing your way through the lines and shooting someone in the face with an icicle the size of your fist. But then again, I'm a simple kind of guy. I have a feeling you're a simple person caught in a complex problem."  
"I never said I wasn't a simple guy at heart, but all this stuff going on..."  
"Girl trouble too?"  
"How'd you know?"  
"Cause I've seen that look, and it only belongs to one kind of trouble in this world. It's really not that hard to read people if you know what you're looking for." Link sighed again.  
"It's Zelda...last night at dinner she admitted she was into me...Male me."  
"Oh...now that's an issue I haven't had ever." Quinn got out a long spoon and stirred the cauldron. "So she doesn't like girls huh?"  
"She might, she's been acting kinda odd, and blushing a lot."  
"You know, there's always a bonus and risk when a man gets involved with a woman who likes other women...the bonus is she likes other women, the risk is she likes other women. Get my meaning?"  
"You're saying I should be glad she's unsure?"  
"Well never knowing first hand I'm not sure, all I know is hearsay and rhymes. 'There once was a lady of flowers, who stayed up to all hours, playing with roses, in all poses, opening the buds by hand' is the most friendly of the latter."  
"Thanks, I don't even get half of it."  
"Yes, well don't repeat it in polite company. Anything else bothering you?"  
"...The Queen named herself Emily and knows that I'm the male soul that was around her to impregnate her."  
"Ouch, so as the baby daddy are either of you going to do anything?"  
"I have no idea what's going on with her head, it's like everything about the King has been twisted into this intense too perfect female who thinks only of fashion and babies."  
"It doesn't bode well for you then, she might think she needs a male type around to protect her and stuff. Goddesses, I don't think the King was this stereotypically male."  
"How do you mean? He always seemed to be a very strong, masculine person."  
"Rumor has it he liked shoe shopping a lot, but don't quote me on that. But anyway, everyone has their soft spots, their hard spots, and their just odd things about them," he stirred the cauldron more. "For Example, I like to quilt, made those ones on my bed, and right now I'm washing reds for a new one." He pulled up on the spoon and showed off the cloth, ranging from deep purples to dark oranges. "This one's gonna be great, last one I did was greens to purple, so this is a continuation. There's this great little place out near the town gates that has the best cotton at low prices, and I can actually use magic to do most of the quilting so it helps me practice fine control and kill two birds with one stone. You should try it." Link looked at Quinn.  
"You are just insane, you know that?"  
"Oh come on, I'll even teach you how to use magic to do it, all you have to do is buy the materials." Quinn got up "Come on, let's go there now."  
"Now? But...my clothes and your legs and..."  
"Oh come on, I'm the only guy that goes there, you can pay me back for the cloth later."  
"But...But..."  
"I'm leaving, come on!"  
"But...Oh damn you!" Link got up, and followed Quinn out.

The QQ Quilting Store was in a small, two story building just to the west of the main town gate. Link had no idea why they had to come to this particular one when they passed five just getting here, but the moment they entered Quinn squealed like a schoolgirl.  
"The new wool blend batting is in!" He said, and hobbled off excitedly into the store. Everywhere there was fabric or needles or thread or quilts for sale, books on quilting by magic, books on quilting by hand, and more fabric. Fabric lined the walls, it filled nooks, it covered the sales counter, it even served as a wall more than a few times, whether by itself or supported by some internal device Link couldn't tell, but the store seemed bigger for all the fabric in it. quickly one of two women came over, she had golden brown hair that had small but noticeable streaks of gray in it and wore a purple red dress that looked half quilt.  
"Welcome to QQ Quilting, I haven't seen you in here before, can I help you find anything?" She smiled, but looked tired and worn ragged, her green eyes somewhere between sparkling and dull.  
"Thanks, but I'm a little overwhelmed. I've never been in one of these shops before..."  
"Ah, and Quinn brought you in?"  
"Yeah, you know him?"  
"Know him? He's practically paid for this entire year. If quilting was his full time job I think there'd be no more need for blanket for orphans funds, he'd just make so many. Half the quilts for sale are his!" Link took one look at the quilts for sale, there was a starry print that was streaked though in places with midnight blue and reddish purple strips that gave it the effect of a night sky, four quilts that were the same cross pattern, just in red, blue, yellow and green; a green to purple gradient, and one with the unit flag design of one of Hyrule's cavalry companies on it done entirely in patchwork.  
"Well, no doubt the unit flag is his..."  
"He did it at my request, the piece work entirely by hand, it's of the 12th cavalry, their motto means 'swift beginning, fast end'."  
"And that green to purple he told me about..."  
"He finished it just last week."  
"And I'm guessing the star field?" the woman shook her head  
"No, that's mine, I did that for my second son, but he..." she looked pained, "He left...and the oddest thing is I can't even think of his name at the moment."  
"Ah...so which of the crosses are Quinn's?" Link wanted to get out of that tight spot fast  
"Oh...oh no we sold those two...Cin, when did we sell them?" She called out to the other woman, she looked bright and cheerful, even with a full head of gray hair and wrinkles on her face she looked much younger than the other woman simply because she was very lively.  
"Just yesterday Mary." She said, returning to the important work of whatever she was doing.  
"Oh...Quinn, you do realize what this means?" She said, as Quinn came over carrying as many bundles of the wool blend he could  
"It means I get to spend more money here?" He said, smiling. "I still haven't spent it all from the last time you sold some of my work."  
"Well yes, in the end it does, but you know, this means we really must have you over for dinner tonight."  
"I don't know Mary, your husband...you know how he feels about magic and its place in the world, not to mention to rivalry between cavalry and mounted infantry that he likes bringing up every time I see him. Plus I have reds washing out back at home and you know..."  
"You think I'm going to try setting you up with my daughter again don't you?"  
"...Yeah you do kinda give off that vibe. Besides, she...didn't exactly give an invalid reason last time." He looked at his legs, "I believe her exact words were 'how would he get traction?' Anyway, thanks for the offer but really, I'm just here for the batting and to set up Anell here with a starter kit."  
"Ah, well then, let's get her a starter kit to be proud of."

The next hour or so was a flurry of activity, picking out fabric, thread, batting, needles, and how-to books for everything a beginner needed. By the end of it all Link had enough stuff she actually couldn't carry it all, and unbelievably Quinn still had more left over in store credit. They called for a delivery service to send it all to Link's room at the castle. Finally they left, Link feeling very tired and very cooled down from the ordeal that sent her flying into the fountain earlier.  
"I'm gonna head back to the castle," she said, leaving Quinn behind quickly as she walked out into the sunny day. Well at least nothing worse could happen.


	18. Chapter 18

Link walked right through the breach she had made in the portcullis, and up to the doors of the castle, which had survived her rampage simply thanks to the many guardsmen and maids that ran away though them. She opened them to find the castle's carpenters hard at work on replacing the doors she had burned to lilies on her way through and Impa watching over them. Zelda was off to the side speaking with a young woman who glowed faintly blue. upon seeing Link the young woman glowed even more blue and turned into Navi, while Zelda and Impa descended upon her.  
"Navi told us everything." Zelda said, hugging Link.  
"We're explaining it as an accident, but I would consider it a favor if next time your temper gets the better of you that you don't burn down both princesses' doors." Impa loomed over them, her face soft around the eyes but hard elsewhere. She then took Link aside, gave her a small hug and whispered to her "I can't begin to understand what you're going through, but for Zelda's sake keep it close. Don't let it out to her." Link nodded slowly as the hug was released and Link got a smell of Impa; light and airy with a touch of wet earth. Impa took her leave of them and Zelda came to Link.  
"So...it sounds like what was said at dinner really affected you..." Zelda took Link by the hand and led them through to the gardens. "To be honest I had been thinking about it too..."  
"Zelda..."  
"No, it's true Link, when you were a guy I really considered you for the role of Prince Consort to me. I know it's more than just politics but I was never sure how much more until this happened to you..."  
"Zelda, no, look, whatever happens I don't wanna do anything about it yet."  
"When? I mean really, the sooner we make it public that you're really Link, the sooner things can happen. I mean, sure it will be a bit odd that I want a Princess Consort and we'll have to do something about heirs, but..."  
"And then Ferao happens." Link deadpanned and looked directly at Zelda.  
"Um...Yeah, we'd have to do something about him..."  
"Something? When Ferao hears his sister is going to marry another girl, and this girl used to be the male commoner that she fancied, will anything, ANYTHING stop him from hurting every single female he can get his hands on?"  
"No, but if it became public..."  
"Public that a guy can turn into a girl, but they need a way to turn him back into a guy? Will he react any better? Face it, going public at all with this is sure to go and make Ferao insane. Going public with your intent to marry me is going to make him go more insane and quite frankly we don't know how the others will take it."  
"Well then I have some bad news...Emily the Queen has announced that she is going to give my hand in marriage to the commoner Link."  
"Oh well at least it doesn't get any worse than that."  
"I'm afraid it can..." Zelda got out a letter. "Emily sent this to me shortly after I was dressed. It says only one thing; 'Have her tell them or I will'."

Link was calm, exceedingly calm as she took her time dressing to meet with the Queen again. Her door, along with all the burned doors in the quarter's area, already replaced. She picked out her favorite shade of green for both slacks and blouse. Nude hose combined with knee high black boots that had an inch heel, they were hard to walk in at first but as she got used to it she became a menacing presence with the extra height and the ability to stomp. She tread hard up to the doors of the Queen's chambers and knocked very hard. She kept knocking until the door opened to reveal the Queen in what would best be described as a 'Tavern Wench" outfit. A too tight red corset covered her breasts while at the same time making them go out and over giving the impression that they were bigger than they really were. A too short skirt, (It showed her KNEES for Goddesses sake!) combined with red net stockings and red ankle boots with what must have been a three inch heel on them.  
"Oh, Anell, come in, we must talk! Come come come!" She pulled Link in and with a grin sat down on the very chair she took last night "So...Zelda got my letter..."  
"You're DAMN right she did!" Link stomped her boots "What business is it of yours who knows who I am?"  
"Considering I am hoping for you as a child-in-law it has everything...besides, it serves my purposes."  
"Your Purposes? you mean you have more ideas in your head?"  
"Yes...you see I know that in your current state Zelda cannot produce an heir with you, oh perhaps one day we will have enough magic to make it possible, but right now, no...so I want to use this as an opportunity to make sure there is an heir from her, even if it is only in name..." She made some tea and then sipped at it "I'm sure you heard from her about the ability we have to transfer pregnancies...oh no, not into you" she said quickly at the look on Link's face. "One of my children, one of three, into Zelda...and your secret is safe."  
"You're Blackmailing me, to get at your daughter...to have her give birth to one of your babies, so she can claim it's mine so she has an heir...so she's safe to take up with me in case we can't make me male again..."  
"Exactly!" She said it so upbeat and happily Link's head spun."  
"Let's go through this one step at a time, just to make sure I've got this..."  
"Ok."  
"You're Blackmailing me?"  
"Yep!"  
"To get at Zelda?"  
"Two for two!"  
"So she'll do the transfer babies thing with you?"  
"Indeedy!"  
"So she can claim the baby as mine?"  
"Keep going."  
"So that it's an heir of her line?"  
"That's the point!"  
"In case I never become male again?"  
"There you go, not so hard is it?" Link's head throbbed like she'd just been run over by an entire herd of horses. The logic was just so twisted and unlike anything she'd ever encountered. She sat down just to try and figure it out. Emily made her some tea and Link took it and sipped at it slowly. Link wasn't sure how long she was there, but eventually she noticed her tea was cold and she was only half done. Emily was still grinning in between sips of her tea, and what was apparently a fresh kettle sat emitting steam on the tea tray. "So do we have a deal?" Her grin was just so pure and honest that Link had no idea what to do.  
"I'll...I'll..." it took her ten tries to get something out that wasn't just yelling no at this twisted mockery. "I'll have to talk to Zelda about it..." She finally got out.  
"Oh of course, I wouldn't have it without her saying yes, but of course I know she'll respect what you say..." Emily rose, and so did Link. "Anyway, I have a Hairdresser appointment that I'm late for...I'll see you later, maybe tonight even!" she walked out with so much energy it was amazing.

"She wants WHAT?" Zelda yelled the last part. they were in the practice courtyard and Zelda was practicing her archery, unfortunately when Link told her about Emily's plan she was in mid pull. upon yelling she released her arrow which went off course and got a bull's-eye in the largest target instead of the small target Zelda was working on. Impa was keeping track of Zelda's points, and marked it as a successful bull's-eye nonetheless; then made her way over to see what was going on.  
"I know but if you had to hear her say it..." Link's head started throbbing again. "She honestly believes she's doing something good here, or at least doing us a favor." Zelda pulled back an arrow and let loose, this time it veered far to the left, hitting a bull's-eye on the smallest target.  
"What is it that's causing you to miss your intended target?" Impa asked, marking another bull's-eye anyway.  
"THE..." Zelda sighed, breathed deeply and then out for a long breath. "The Queen wants me to have one of her triplets so I can have an heir incase Link never turns back into a male..." She pulled back an arrow again, and this time she either calmed herself or harnessed her anger by hitting the bullseye on her intended target.  
"That's..." Impa looked as though her head ached now. "That's quite a leap...perhaps we should take this as evidence to have her examined by doctors?"  
"That wouldn't solve anything, and despite what I think about it, it logically fits the criteria for fixing most of the issues at hand. It might not get Link back to being actually male, but the minor scandal of me having a child out of wedlock with him would do much to make him my prince."  
"Are we seriously considering this?" Link asked, not sure if Zelda had gone off the deep end too. Zelda notched her last arrow and put it next to the last bull's-eye.  
"What choice do we have? We don't do it she reveals to the world that you're actually Link, and then Ferao and people like him come out of the woodwork. We do it and you're stuck with me forever, in addition to us actually raising my younger sibling."  
"We can deal with Ferao, how many people can there possibly be like him?"  
"A great deal more than you realize when they find out you're a boy who's a girl. Think about it, the unknown, the weird, and the mysterious breed fear. This is all three, an unknown situation, a weird happening, and a mysterious person. At least her condition was explained and she has accepted it but you'd be forced inside the castle at all times for your protection, a prisoner of your own condition for fear of what would happen should you leave. Even after its fixed people would be scared of you, a boy who was a girl could cause even more panic."  
"...You sure?"  
"Gender roles are one of the things in our society that people are rigid about. Think about it, I may be Princess, I may someday be leader of the entire nation, But I can never be something other than that. Sure I can learn archery, be taught math and history with the best of them, but in the end until I am Queen I am nothing more than an heir maker. Even after becoming Queen I that will still be my primary role, as day to day operations will be taken care of by the Prince Consort."  
"Sounds like there needs to be a change then."  
"Would you really think that if you were to be Prince Consort? If it serves the leader's purposes for there to be no change do you think change happens? Change can only, truly happen if those above the common people accept it, and even then only when the people respect those above." Zelda stood there for a while, then she gathered her arrows and started again.  
"Are you ok?" Link finally asked  
"Yes I'm fine, I've always known everything I just said but I don't like thinking about it." She stopped mid pull and sighed. "Go and tell the Queen we accept..."


End file.
